Jim Courter

James Andrew Courter (born October 14, 1941) is an American Republican Party politician and attorney. He represented parts of northwestern New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1991. In 1989, he unsuccessfully ran for Governor of New Jersey.

Jim Courter
Chairman of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission
In office
1991–1994
PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
SecretaryDick Cheney
Les Aspin
William Perry
Preceded byposition established
Succeeded byAlan J. Dixon
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey
In office
January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1991
Preceded byHelen Stevenson Meyner
Succeeded byDick Zimmer
Constituency13th district (1979–83)
12th district (1983–91)
Personal details
Born
James Andrew Courter

(1941-10-14) October 14, 1941
Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceHackettstown, New Jersey
EducationColgate University (BA)
Duke University (JD)

Early life and education

Courter was born October 14, 1941, in Montclair, New Jersey.[1]

Courter graduated from Montclair Academy in 1959, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963 from Colgate University, and earned a Juris Doctor degree from Duke University School of Law in 1966. After law school, Courter became a Peace Corps volunteer in Venezuela. He was admitted to the bar in Washington, D.C., in 1966 and in New Jersey in 1971.[1]

Career

Courter served as an assistant corporation counsel for Washington, D.C., from 1969 to 1970. He worked for Union County Legal Services from 1970 to 1971. In 1972, Courter founded a law firm in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Courter was a first assistant prosecutor in Warren County, New Jersey from 1973 to 1977. He co-founded Warren County Legal Services in 1975 and served as an attorney for municipalities in Warren and Sussex Counties.[1]

A Republican, Courter served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years, from 1979 until 1991.[1] He represented New Jersey's 12th congressional district, located in northwestern New Jersey.[2] Courter was described as the most conservative member of New Jersey's congressional delegation.[3] He was the Republican Party nominee for Governor of New Jersey in 1989, but lost in a landslide to Democrat Jim Florio.[4][5] Courter did not seek re-election to Congress in 1990.[1]

From 1991 to 1993, Courter served as chairman of the Base Closure and Realignment Commission,[1] having been appointed by both President George Herbert Walker Bush and President Bill Clinton; the Commission oversaw the restructuring of the United States' domestic military base infrastructure.

Personal life

Courter is married to Carmen Courter.[6] Their daughter, Katrina, married Taylor Whitman, son of former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, in 2006.[7]

In 1990, a 12-ton recreational vehicle collided with the front of the Courters' Hackettstown, New Jersey home. The Courters were unhurt.[6]

Works
  • Defending Democracy, American Studies Center, June 1, 1986 ISBN 0-931727-04-9
  • Defense Base Closure & Realignment Commission: Report to the President, Diane Publishing Co, April 1, 1994 ISBN 0-7881-0695-3

References
  1. "COURTER, James Andrew (1941 -)". Bioguide.Congress.gov. Retrieved August 28, 2003.
  2. Depalma, Anthony (September 25, 1989). "In Campaign, Courter Aims To Pin Down His Identity". The New York Times.
  3. Balz, Dan (October 1, 1989). "In New Jersey, Courter Runs Toward Center". Washington Post.
  4. King, Wayne (September 1, 1990). "Balancing Act Is Expected of Florio's New Chief of Staff". The New York Times.
  5. "South Jersey officials react to death of former New Jersey governor Jim Florio". Courier-Post. September 26, 2022.
  6. Brekus, Pete (May 17, 2015). "RV leaves gaping hole in home of U.S. Rep. Jim Courter in 1990". lehighvalleylive.com.
  7. "Katrina Courter, Taylor Whitman". The New York Times. September 10, 2006.
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