William T. Cahill

One of seven Rutgers alumni who have served as governors of New Jersey, William T. Cahill is best known for his initiatives that created the state's Department of Environmental Protection and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and spurred the development of the Hackensack Meadowlands. Cahill was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1938. He served as first assistant Camden County prosecutor from 1948–51, a member of the New Jersey legislature from 1951–53, and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1958–69. In November 1969, he won New Jersey's gubernatorial election in a landslide victory, winning 20 of 21 counties. His achievements as governor include a mandate that New Jersey's teacher colleges become four-year, liberal arts institutions. He also is known for his veto of a Port Authority decision to build a major jetport in New Jersey, ending years of controversy over the project. After a successful four-year term, he served as a senior fellow at Princeton University from 1974–79 and was a partner in the law firm of Cahill, Wilinski, and Cahill of Haddonfield. He died in 1996 at age 84.