Chuck Haytaian

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Garabed "Chuck" Haytaian (January 28, 1938 – November 1, 2024) was an American businessman and Republican politician from New Jersey. He served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1982 to 1996, representing Hunterdon, Sussex, and Warren counties, and was the Assembly Speaker from 1992 to 1996, helping lead the Republicans in tax reform.

Born in the Bronx to Armenian genocide survivor parents, Haytaian became active in local politics, leading the Kiwanis Club and serving on the Mansfield Township school board. He first ran for Warren County freeholder in 1974 and lost in a Democratic wave, but won a seat in 1975 by a narrow margin. He had a public feud with state Senator Wayne Dumont over a freeholder appointment. In 1981 he ran for the state Assembly with Robert Littell and Leonard Lance and won, as the districts shifted from the 24th to the 23rd.

In 1984 he joined an insurgent group that challenged several Republican leaders, helping set the stage for Chuck Hardwick to become minority leader and making Haytaian the assistant minority leader in 1985. After Republicans won control of the Assembly in 1985, Hardwick became Speaker and Haytaian became the majority leader. He survived a 1989 challenge and, with opposition to a tax increase growing, the Republicans won a legislative supermajority in 1991, and Haytaian was elected Speaker in 1992.

In 1994 he ran for the U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Frank Lautenberg. He argued Lautenberg was out of touch with New Jersey and focused on crime and taxes. Lautenberg won, though Haytaian drew significant support.

From 1995 to 2001 he was the chair of the New Jersey Republican State Committee. In 1996 a former administrative assistant at the State House accused him of sexual harassment; he countersued for defamation, and in 1997 the state settled the case for $175,000.

He lived in Independence Township, New Jersey, and held a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama. Chuck Haytaian died on November 1, 2024, at the age of 86.