Ann Klein

For other people with similar names, see Anne Klein.
Ann Klein
New Jersey Commissioner of Human Services
In office
November 1, 1976 – February 5, 1981
GovernorBrendan T. Byrne
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byTimothy Carden
New Jersey Commissioner of Institutions and Agencies
In office
1974 – November 1, 1976
GovernorBrendan T. Byrne
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from District 10B
In office
January 11, 1972 – January 8, 1974
Serving with James P. Vreeland
Preceded byEverett B. Vreeland
Peter W. Thomas
Succeeded byDistrict eliminated
Personal details
Born1923 (1923)
DiedFebruary 23, 1986(1986-02-23) (aged 62–63)
Alma materBarnard College
Columbia University

Ann Rosensweig Klein (1923–February 23, 1986) was an American activist and Democratic politician who represented parts of Morris County in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1972 to 1974. Klein ran unsuccessfully for governor of New Jersey in 1973 and 1981, losing the Democratic nomination each time.

Early life and education

Ann Rosensweig was born in 1923 in Brooklyn, New York.

Klein received an undergraduate degree from Barnard College and graduated from the Columbia University School of Social Work.[1]

Career

After graduating from Columbia, Klein took a job as a caseworker for the Morris County, New Jersey family service agency.[1]

She was active in a number of charitable groups, including the New Jersey League of Women Voters, whose board she joined in 1964.[1] From 1967 to 1971, Klein was president of league.[2][3][1] She resigned that position in 1971, when she ran for the New Jersey General Assembly.[4] In 1971, she was appointed to the New Jersey Tax Policy Commission.[1]

New Jersey General Assembly

Klein won the 1971 election to represent District 10B, which was one of two districts in Morris County and included her hometown of Morristown. In doing so, Klein became the first member of her party to represent Morris in sixty years.[5][6][7] As a member of the Assembly, she supported a bill removing the requirement for women to disclose their marital status when registering to vote.[8] She also supported a stronger campaign finance disclosure law.[7]

In the Assembly, Klein was known as a liberal and associated with the "[George] McGovern wing" of the New Jersey Democratic Party.[9][7] In 1972, she was elected as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention, where she had pledged to support McGovern.[10]

1973 gubernatorial campaign

Main article: 1973 New Jersey gubernatorial election § Democratic primary

In 1973, Klein ran for Governor of New Jersey, seeking to become the first woman to win a major party's nomination for governor.[9][11] In addition to support from women's organizations, Klein enjoyed the support of the liberal and reform segments of the party which had supported McGovern in 1972.[9]

During the primary, Klein disdained traditional party machine methods, such as the use of the county line system for ballot position. In January, she refused to appear before a candidate-screening committee which critics had argued was calculated to enhance the candidacy of Ralph DeRose, the candidate of the Essex County political machine.[9] She criticized the Republican incumbent, William T. Cahill, for ineffective leadership and failure to deliver services. Although she was more aligned with the liberal Cahill than DeRose, she pledged to support the Democratic nominee.[9]

She placed second to Brendan Byrne in the Democratic Party primary.

Byrne cabinet

After Byrne won the general election, he nominated Klein as commissioner of the Department of Institutions and Agencies, which administered state prisons, mental hospitals and welfare programs.[12][3] She was approved by the New Jersey State Senate in 1974.[13]

As commissioner, she worked to find places for people released from state hospitals in New Jersey and advocated for better treatment of mental health care patients.[14][15]

In 1976, the Department of Institutions and Agencies was divided, and Klein became the first Commissioner of the Department of Human Services. She resigned 1981 to run for governor.[16] Although Klein claimed she reduced welfare fraud and improved efficiency in the department, which employed 22,000 and spent $1 billion per year, she was a target for political criticism, earning the hostility of legislators in both parties.[17] Near the end of her tenue, she was criticized for warning Medicaid recipients that funds were low and publicly blaming the legislature.[17]

1981 gubernatorial campaign

In 1981, Klein ran again for the Democratic nomination for governor.[18][17] However, Byrne endorsed another member of his campaign, John Degnan. Though he offered to cut an advertisement praising Klein's work as commissioner, she declined the offer.[17] Her campaign was far less successful than in 1981,[17] and she finished tenth in a thirteen candidate field.

In 1982, she was appointed as an administrative law judge in Newark, where she served until retiring in 1984.[16]

Personal life and death

Klein married Robert Klein, a management consultant.[9]

They had two children:[9][16]

  • David, owner of a marine supply business
  • Mara Jayne, who married Jeffrey Miller of New York

The Kleins divorced in 1980.[1]

Illness and death

Around the time of her retirement, Klein was diagnosed with cancer. Despite her diagnosis, she enrolled in law school.[1] She died the age of 62 in Morristown, NJ in 1986.[19][16]

Legacy

The Ann Klein Forensic Center at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital was named in honor of Klein to recognize her work in New Jersey.[6][20] In 1988, the Community Health Law Project began awarding the Ann Klein Advocate Award.[21] The award is annually presented to individuals or groups for their exemplary working towards better accessibility for persons living with disabilities.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Obituary for Ann Klein (Aged 59)". Courier-Post. February 24, 1986. p. 25. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  2. ^ "New Jersey Women's History: Period VI". www.njwomenshistory.org. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Waldron, Martin (February 15, 1976). "Women Who Help to Rule the State". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  4. ^ Donlan, Thomas G. (April 9, 1972). "The League Goes Public". The Record. p. 68. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  5. ^ Results of the General Election Held November 2,1971, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed June 13, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Center named for advocate of mentally ill – Nurse who is accused of murder is in the Ann Klein Forensic Unit". Morning Call; Allentown, Pa. January 5, 2004. pp. B4.
  7. ^ a b c Baltin, Steve (October 21, 1973). "Mrs. Klein Isn't Running but G.O.P. Makes Her Morris Issue". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  8. ^ "Legislative Notes: No 'Mrs.' for Voters". The New York Times. March 19, 1972. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Sullivan, Ronald (February 13, 1973). "Woman Enters Contest in Jersey". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "1972 New Jersey primary results" (PDF). nj.gov.
  11. ^ Burks, Edward C. (May 26, 1973). "Ann Klein Braves Commuter Crush". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Sullivan, Ronald (January 4, 1974). "Byrne Names Ann Klein Chief of State Institutions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  13. ^ Waggoner, Walter H. (January 29, 1974). "Mrs. Klein Wins Senate Approval". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  14. ^ Waldron, Martin (January 13, 1978). "Mrs. Klein Says State Is Helping In Resettling of Ex-Mental Patients". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  15. ^ "Mrs. Klein Calls State Approach On Mental Health 'Inadequate'". The New York Times. March 7, 1974. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  16. ^ a b c d "Ann R. Klein, 62, Dies, Ex-New Jersey Official". The New York Times. February 25, 1986. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c d e Slack, Enda (June 5, 1981). "Ann Klein wonders, 'what went wrong?'". Daily Record. p. 8. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  18. ^ Shure, Jon (February 3, 1981). "Klein leaving cabinet to run for governor". The Record. p. 3. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  19. ^ "Remembering Ann Klein". Daily Record. February 25, 1986. p. 4. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  20. ^ "Forensic Psychiatric Hospital – Change name to Ann Klein Forensic Center". Compiled by the New Jersey State Library. November 20, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: others (link)
  21. ^ "Lois Hull receives advocate award". The Montclair Times. September 28, 1989. p. 4. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  22. ^ Project, Community Health Law. "Ann Klein Advocate Awards". www.eggzack.com. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
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