Education
- Dartmouth College – Bachelor of Arts, 1947
- Columbia University Midshipman’s School – Commissioned Ensign, U.S.N.R., 1944
- New York University School of Law – Juris Doctor, 1950 – Master of Law Degrees, 1955
- The Hague Academy of International Law, The Netherlands, 1952, 1953
Military Service
- Served as a Navigator aboard the USS Mt. McKinley AGC-7 Flagship of the 7th Amphibious Fleet, in the Pacific
- Saw active combat as Lt. USNR in the Battles of Leyte, Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines and Okinawa and later served in the Occupation of Japan.
- Received Naval Commendation Medal and 3 Battle Stars
- Was Training Officer after World War II – U S Naval Reserve Station
Legal Career
- New Jersey, New York, District of Columbia Bars
- Admitted to practice before: U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of International Trade, U.S. Court of Appeals, U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Treasury Department
- Guarini & Guarini, PA – Jersey City, New Jersey – Law Firm, founded by Frank J. Guarini, Sr. in 1917
- Codified the Rules of Evidence while serving in the New Jersey Senate serving as its Chairman – He was later commissioned to co-author the a rules of evidence textbook, New Jersey Rules of Evidence – Now annually published by Gann Law Books.
- Served on the General Council of New Jersey Bar Association
- Chaired the New Jersey Trial Lawyers (ATLA)
- Elected Fellow of the American Bar Association
Political Activities
- Founded and was president of the Community Charter Council which successfully challenged the entrenched corrupt political machine in Jersey City government and initiated the Mayor and City Council model which set in place a system of checks and balances
- Initiated successful suit in U.S. Supreme Court against the State of New York, which returned more than 80% of Ellis Island to New Jersey
- Served as Hudson County Democratic Party Chairman
- Chaired the New Jersey Delegation to the Democratic National Convention held in San Francisco, California in 1984 casting the deciding convention floor vote for Walter Mondale for the Democratic Presidential nomination. His running mate, Geraldine Ferraro, was the first woman selected to run on a national ticket for a major political party
Political Offices
- New Jersey State Senate – 2 terms (1966-1972)
- Member of the Appropriations, Transportation and Environmental Committees
- Prime sponsor of first enacted Air Pollution and Water Pollution laws in New Jersey, considered, at that time, one of the most stringent environmental laws in the nation
- Initiated the establishment of the Department of Environmental Protection in New Jersey (NJDEP)
- Spearheaded the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission, now the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC), which brought planned development to 18,000 acres of land in 14 contiguous municipalities in Hudson and Bergen Counties
- Initiated the New York Giants move to New Jersey and the building of a Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands together with the Meadowlands Racetrack, for harness racing. A second Giant – Jet Football Stadium was later completed in 2010
- Organized opposition to the political establishment in Hudson County to prevent the demolition of the Hudson County Court House. He was active in the movement to have the building declared a National Historic Monument. He also arranged federal funding to restore and refurbish and reactivate it as a working court house in honor of Justice William J. Brennan. The Justice was assigned there prior to his appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court
- Was a major contributor to the defeat of Westway – a project which was intended to enlarge the shores of Manhattan’s West Side for planned real estate development. The proposal would have significantly interfered with the navigable waters of the Hudson River, causing damage to the low lying waterfront in New Jersey
- Member of the United States House of Representatives – 7 Terms (1979-1993)
- Served fourteen years on Ways & Means Committee and was a senior member of the Trade, Internal Revenue Laws and Social Security Subcommittees, which totally revamped the laws and regulations in each jurisdiction. He was one of the first members to be chosen for the Ways and Means Committee on his first day in Congress
- Appointed to the Joint Conference Committee concerning the passage of the Tokyo Rounds and was involved in the implementation of the Free Trade Agreements with Canada, Mexico and Israel
- Participated in the deliberations and Joint Conferences involving the Tokyo and Uruguay Trade Rounds
- Was a principal sponsor of the Caribbean Basin Initiatives, spearheading legislation in developing our trade policy with our Caribbean and Latin American neighbors
- Worked to completely revamp the Internal Revenue Code in 1986 and also to modernize our trade and tariff laws to assure harmonization and the opening of trading markets in our global economy
- Was a senior member of the Budget Committee, and chaired the Task Force on Urgent Fiscal Issues. He was an outspoken advocate for fiscal responsibility. He fought to provide educational and job opportunities for our young and minorities. He was principal sponsor of the Educational Assistance Act, working with Senator Pat Moynihan to provide tax incentives to young employees striving for a college education
- Served on the Select Committee on Narcotic Abuse and Control for 14 years and developed extensive expertise in drug and substance abuse issues. Traveled extensively and acquired first-hand knowledge of the production, distribution, and trafficking of drugs. Members met, on many occasions, with Pope John Paul II, Heads of State and key law enforcement officials to develop strategies and programs to combat the scourge of drugs
- Served as a delegate to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and was present at the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Participated in a key NATO Conference in London considering its expansion by admitting freed Eastern European Countries, and the restating of its mission
- Appointed by President Bill Clinton, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1994, to serve as the United States Representative to the United Nations General Assembly
Real Estate Development
- Pioneered, after public service, major real estate developments along the Hudson County Waterfront, New Jersey
- Development completed: Monaco Towers, Columbus Towers, The Marbella, Portifino, Charles Schwab Office Building, Doubletree Hotel, Old Colony Square Shopping Center, State Square Building, American Data Processing (ADP) Office Building and One Journal Square Plaza. Future plans include San Remo, Marbella II and 70 Columbus Towers
Past and Present Associations
- American Red Cross, Washington, D.C. – National Board of Governors
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA), Washington, DC (now the American Association for Justice) – National Board of Directors
- Christ Hospital, Jersey City, NJ – Executive Committee and Honorary Trustee
- Christopher Columbus Foundation of Hudson County, NJ Board Chairman
- Columbus Citizens Foundation, New York, NY – A Founding Member
- Council of United States & Italy, Villa D’ Este, Italy – Board of Directors
- Fraternities:
- Alpha Delta Phi, Dartmouth College
- Phi Delta Phi, New York University School of Law – Magistrate
- Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, NJ – Vice Chairman of Board
- John Cabot University, Rome, Italy – Executive Committee – Trustee
- Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce. NJ
- National Coalition of Ethnic Organizations (NECO), New York, NY – Board Member
- National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) – Washington D.C. – President & Chairman Emeritus
- New York Athletic Club (NYAC), New York City, NY
- New York University, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo, New York, NY – Board Member
- Rotary Club of Hudson County, NJ – Board Member
- St. Peter’s College, NJ – Trustee – Chairman of the Board of Regents
- The Hague Academy of International Law, the Netherlands – Alumni Trustee
- The United States Association of Former Members of Congress, Washington, DC
- The Washington Center for Interns, Washington, DC – Board Member