George Norcross

George E. Norcross III (born March 16, 1956) is an American businessman, Democratic Party organizer, and power broker in southern New Jersey.[1]

George Norcross
Born (1956-03-16) March 16, 1956
Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
EducationRutgers University, Camden
Occupations
  • Businessman
  • non-profit leader
  • political boss
Political partyDemocratic
Children2
RelativesDonald Norcross (brother)
John C. Norcross (brother)

Norcross is executive chairman of Conner Strong & Buckelew, an insurance brokerage firm. He is chairman of the board of trustees for Cooper University Health Care System and Cooper University Hospital both in Camden, New Jersey, and has served as a trustee since 1990. He led the effort to create the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and to partner with MD Anderson Cancer Center to create the MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center, which opened in 2013.[2]

Norcross has been a prominent political leader in New Jersey for more than 30 years, since before he became chairman of the Camden County Democratic Committee in 1989,[3] a position he held until 1993. For many years, he was named one of the most powerful non-elected political figures in New Jersey by the website PolitickerNJ.com.[4][5] He is regarded as New Jersey's most powerful unelected leader.[6]

Norcross is a member of the Democratic National Committee. He formerly belonged to Mar-a-Lago, the club owned by former United States President Donald Trump.[7]

Early life

Norcross was born on March 16, 1956, in Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey,[8] the son of George E. Norcross, Jr., the president of the AFL–CIO Central Labor Union of Camden and Gloucester Counties, and his wife, Anne Carol Norcross. His father was active in the community of Camden, served as a board member of Cooper University Hospital, and chaired the board of United Way.[9] His mother died at the age of 84 in 2016.[10]

Norcross graduated from Pennsauken High School and briefly attended Rutgers University–Camden. He has three brothers: Donald, a United States Congressman representing New Jersey's 1st congressional district;[11] Philip, managing partner of the law firm Parker McCay;[12] and John, a psychologist, author, and professor at the University of Scranton.[13]

Career

Insurance

Norcross is the executive chairman of insurance, risk management, and employee benefits brokerage and consulting firm Conner Strong & Buckelew, where he has worked since 1979. Norcross was named the second most powerful man in the New Jersey business world by NJBiz.com in 2014, 2015, and 2016,[14] and made the list's top ten list in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.[15] In September 2015, Norcross was announced as one of the local investors in The Camden Waterfront, a $1 billion development on Camden's waterfront initially developed by Liberty Property Trust and designed by Robert A.M. Stern.[16] Norcross said he would invest $50 million in the project,[17] and in March 2017, Norcross announced his company would move to the Camden waterfront as part of a $245 million development.[18]

Cooper University Health Care System

Norcross is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Cooper University Health Care System, Cooper University Hospital and the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, in Camden, New Jersey. He has served as a Cooper trustee since 1990. Norcross launched the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University[19] and helped to facilitate the opening of the MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center in October 2013.[20]

In the wake of the Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014, Cooper announced a "Veterans VIP Priority Program" that provided day care to veterans in New Jersey's seven southern counties.[21] In November 2014, Cooper and Norcross were awarded the "Seven Seals" award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in recognition of the program.[22]

In February 2012, Norcross penned an op-ed in the Courier-Post praising the idea of merging Rowan University and Rutgers-Camden. In June that year, the state approved the partnership.[23]

Later career

In 2021, childhood friend Stephen Sweeney, then president of the New Jersey Senate, and one of Norcross's closest allies, lost re-election.[3] Politico said that the loss indicted a substantial decline in Norcross's power and influence. In 2023, he announced that he was decreasing his involvement in politics, saying it was "time for others to lead" and conceding that Sweeney's loss had left him "sitting in the backseat".[24]

Criticism

The office of the Attorney General of New Jersey and the United States Attorney's office under Chris Christie investigated Norcross after he was secretly taped discussing state politics. After investigation and significant media coverage, he was not charged.[25] Norcross was also the subject of a federal investigation in 2016 where his phones were wiretapped. The United States Attorney's Office for New Jersey sent Norcross a letter confirming that no action was warranted and the investigation was closed.[26]

Norcross has been associated with businesses that are alleged to have received special treatment from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.[27]

An investigative task force was formed to look into the operations and procedures of the NJEDA. Norcross sued the State of New Jersey to stop the highly critical report from becoming public. After a five-hour court hearing about the injunction, Norcross lost and within minutes, the report was made public.[28][29]

Personal life

Norcross has a daughter, Lexie, and a son, Alex.[30] He was previously listed as a resident of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, but in 2023, Norcross was reported to be an official resident of Florida, living there "about 90 percent of [the] time".[31][24]

Norcross was listed as one of the state's wealthiest people, ranked 41st in New Jersey in 2015 with a net worth of almost $250 million.[31]

References
  1. "No. 10: George Norcross". NJBIZ. February 21, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  2. "George E. Norcross III". Connor Strong & Buckelew. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  3. Racioppi, Dustin; Friedman, Matt (July 17, 2023). "New Jersey Democrats mull a future with a weakened George Norcross". POLITICO. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  4. "The Power List 2014" (PDF). PolitickerNJ. November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  5. "The Power List 2009" (PDF). PolitickerNJ. August 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 31, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  6. Hutchins, Ryan (May 21, 2019). "Governor's feud with party boss rocks New Jersey politics". POLITICO. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  7. Confessore, Nicholas; Haberman, Maggie; Lipton, Eric (February 18, 2017). "Trump's 'Winter White House': A Peek at the Exclusive Members' List at Mar-a-Lago". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  8. 2016 Congressional Record, Vol. 162, Page E321 (March 16, 2016)
  9. Hagenmayer, S. Joseph (May 18, 1998). "George Norcross Jr., labor and civic leader". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 75.
  10. Palmer, Chris (May 10, 2016). "Carol C. Norcross, 84, advocate for seniors, matriarch of a powerful South Jersey family". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  11. Seidman, Andrew (November 10, 2014). "Norcross to be sworn in to House seat on Wednesday". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  12. "Philip A. Norcross". Parker McCay. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  13. "John C. Norcross, Ph.D., ABPP". The University of Scranton. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  14. , njbiz.com, January 27, 2015; accessed February 4, 2015.
  15. "No. 9: George Norcross". NJBIZ. February 22, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  16. NJBiz.com, 'Iconic' $700M project coming to Camden waterfront, September 24, 2015; accessed February 7, 2016.
  17. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Project aims to transform Camden waterfront - and surprise skeptics, September 26, 2015; accessed October 11, 2015.
  18. , NJ.com, Norcross and partners propose $245M Camden Tower on waterfront, March 10, 2017; accessed April 22, 2017.
  19. Courier-Post, October 23, 2009.
  20. "MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper Celebrates Five Years". TAPinto. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  21. Veterans VIP Priority Program, philly.com, September 8, 2014; accessed December 22, 2014.
  22. Perry, Jessica (November 12, 2014). "Cooper honored for its Veterans VIP program". Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  23. Partnership of Rowan University and Rutgers-Camden, nj.com; accessed November 16, 2014.
  24. Racioppi, Dustin (May 8, 2023). "New Jersey power broker George Norcross is stepping back from politics". Politico. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  25. Tom Moran (November 23, 2014). "George Norcross: The good works of the Dark Lord (Moran)". NJ.com.
  26. "U.S. Attorney ends speculation about Norcross". New Jersey Globe. October 9, 2018.
  27. "Attorney Kevin Sheehan is Mentioned in Reference to "Unregistered Lobbying" Found by NJEDA Task Force". Insider NJ. May 1, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  28. "Judge Rules Against George Norcross Efforts to Stop NJEDA Task Force". Insider NJ. June 17, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  29. "Governor's Task Force on EDA Tax Incentives". Politico.
  30. "George E. Norcross III, Executive Chairman" (PDF). Conner Strong & Buckelew. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  31. Bellano, Anthony. "South Jersey Democrat is Among the State's Wealthiest; George Norcross III made njbiz.com's list at No. 41.", Cherry Hill, NJ Patch, July 8, 2015. Accessed August 8, 2019. "George E. Norcross III made the list at No. 41. The 58-year-old Cherry Hill resident is worth $248.5 million, and made his wealth through banking, insurance and politics."
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