George Norcross

George E. Norcross III (born March 16, 1956) is an American businessman and a Democratic Party organiser and power broker in New Jersey.

George Norcross
Born (1956-03-16) March 16, 1956
Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationPennsauken High School
OccupationBusinessman
Net worth$250 million (2015)
Political partyDemocratic
Children2
RelativesDonald Norcross (brother)
John C. Norcross (brother)

Norcross is executive chairman of Conner Strong & Buckelew, an insurance brokerage firm. He is chairman of the board of trustees for Cooper University Health Care System and Cooper University Hospital both in Camden, New Jersey, and has served as a trustee since 1990. He led the effort to create the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and to partner with MD Anderson Cancer Center to create the MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center, which opened in 2013. [1]

Norcross has been a prominent political leader in New Jersey for more than 30 years, since before he became chairman of the Camden County Democratic Committee in 1989, a position he held until 1993. For many years, he has been named one of the most powerful non-elected political figures in New Jersey by the website PolitickerNJ.com.[2][3] From 2014 through 2019,[4] he was named one of New Jersey's most powerful people by NJBiz.com.[5] He is regarded as New Jersey's most powerful unelected leader.[6]

Norcross is a member of the Democratic National Committee. He also belongs to Mar-a-Lago, the club owned by United States President Donald Trump.[7]

Early life

Norcross was born on March 16, 1956, in Cooper University Hospital, Camden, New Jersey.[8] He is the son of George E. Norcross, Jr., the president of the AFL-CIO Central Labor Union of Camden and Gloucester Counties and his wife, Anne Carol. George Norcross, Jr. was active in the community of Camden and a board member of Cooper University Hospital. He served on the board of and was the chairman of United Way.[9] His mother, Carol, died at the age of 84 in 2016. She was remembered as "a tireless advocate for senior citizens."[10]

Norcross graduated from Pennsauken High School and briefly attended Rutgers University-Camden. He has three brothers: Donald, a United States Congressman representing New Jersey's 1st congressional district;[11] Philip, managing partner of the law firm Parker McCay;[12] and John, a psychologist, author, and professor at the University of Scranton.[13]

Career

Insurance

Norcross is the executive chairman of brokerage firm Conner Strong & Buckelew, where he has worked since 1979. Norcross was named the second most powerful man in the New Jersey business world by NJBiz.com in 2014, 2015, and 2016,[14] and made the list's top five in 2017, 2018, and 2019.[15] In September 2015, Norcross was announced as one of the local investors in The Camden Waterfront, a $1 billion development on Camden's waterfront initially developed by Liberty Property Trust and designed by Robert A.M. Stern.[16] Norcross said he would invest $50 million in the project,[17] and in March 2017, Norcross announced his company would move to the Camden waterfront as part of a $245 million development.[18] The 18-story, 394,164 square-foot building will also house The Michaels Organization, NFI, and two new restaurants spearheaded by Philadelphia celebrity chef Michael Schulson.[19]

Cooper University Health Care System

Norcross is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Cooper University Health Care System and Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey and has served as a trustee since 1990. Norcross launched the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, which New Jersey Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts praised for its "unflagging commitment to the city,"[20] and helped to facilitate the opening of the MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center in October 2013.[21]

In the wake of the Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014, Cooper announced a "Veterans VIP Priority Program" that provided day care to veterans in New Jersey's seven southern counties.[22] In November 2014, Cooper and Norcross were awarded the "Seven Seals" award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in recognition of the program.[23]

In February 2012, Norcross penned an op-ed in the Courier-Post that called for the merger of Rowan University and Rutgers-Camden, positing it could be a "catalyst for the kind of renaissance that could make South Jersey an epicenter of intellectual and economic success for decades." In June that year, the state approved the partnership.[24]

Criticism

The office of the Attorney General of New Jersey and the United States Attorney's office under Chris Christie investigated Norcross after he was secretly taped discussing state politics. After thorough investigations and significant media coverage, he was not charged.[25] Norcross was also the subject of a federal investigation in 2016 where his phones were wiretapped.

Norcross has been associated with businesses that received special treatment from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.[26] An investigative task force was formed to look into the operations and procedures of the EDA. Norcross's law firm sued the State of New Jersey to try stop the highly critical report from becoming public. After a five-hour court hearing about the injunction, Norcross lost and within minutes, the report was made public.[27][28]

Personal life

Norcross lives in Camden, New Jersey, and has a daughter, Lexie, and a son, Alex.[29]

Norcross was listed as one of the state's wealthiest people, ranked 41st in New Jersey in 2015 with a net worth of almost $250 million.[30]

References
  1. "George E. Norcross III". Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  2. , PolitickerNJ.com, November 2014; accessed February 7, 2016.
  3. , PolitickerNJ.com, August 2008, accessed February 7, 2016.
  4. l, NJBiz.com; accessed February 7, 2016.
  5. Perry, Jessica (January 25, 2016). "The Top 10 5-1". Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  6. Governor’s feud with party boss rocks New Jersey politics, by Ryan Hutchins, Politico, May 21, 2019, retrieved October 3, 2019
  7. "Trump's 'Winter White House': A Peek at the Exclusive Members' List at Mar-a-Lago". New York Times.
  8. "IN HONOR OF GEORGE E. NORCROSS III; Congressional Record Vol. 162, No. 42 (Extensions of Remarks - March 16, 2016)". congress.gov. March 16, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  9. S. Joseph Hagenmayer (May 18, 1998). "George Norcross Jr., Labor And Civic Leader". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  10. Chris Palmer (May 10, 2016). "Carol C. Norcross, 84, advocate for seniors, matriarch of a powerful South Jersey family". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  11. Andrew Seidman (November 11, 2014). "Norcross to be sworn in to House seat on Wednesday". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  12. ParkerMcCay.com; accessed February 7, 2016.
  13. John Norcross profile, Scranton.edu; accessed January 26, 2014.
  14. , njbiz.com, January 27, 2015; accessed February 4, 2015.
  15. Perry, Jessica (March 26, 2018). "No. 3 George Norcross". Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  16. NJBiz.com, 'Iconic' $700M project coming to Camden waterfront, September 24, 2015; accessed February 7, 2016.
  17. The Philadelphia Inquirer, Project aims to transform Camden waterfront - and surprise skeptics, September 26, 2015; accessed October 11, 2015.
  18. , NJ.com, Norcross and partners propose $245M Camden Tower on waterfront, March 10, 2017; accessed April 22, 2017.
  19. "Philadelphia Restauranteur Plans to Open Two Restaurants Along Camden Waterfront". TAPinto. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  20. Courier-Post, October 23, 2009.
  21. "MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper Celebrates Five Years". TAPinto. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  22. Veterans VIP Priority Program, philly.com, September 8, 2014; accessed December 22, 2014.
  23. Perry, Jessica (November 12, 2014). "Cooper honored for its Veterans VIP program". Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  24. Partnership of Rowan University and Rutgers-Camden, nj.com; accessed November 16, 2014.
  25. Tom Moran (November 23, 2014). "George Norcross: The good works of the Dark Lord (Moran)". NJ.com.
  26. "Attorney Kevin Sheehan is Mentioned in Reference to "Unregistered Lobbying" Found by NJEDA Task Force". Insider NJ. May 1, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  27. "Judge Rules Against George Norcross Efforts to Stop NJEDA Task Force". Insider NJ. June 17, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  28. https://www.politico.com/states/f/?id=0000016b-67c1-df00-a9fb-6fe1d7840001. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. "George E. Norcross III, Executive Chairman" (PDF). Conner Strong & Buckelew. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  30. Bellano, Anthony. "South Jersey Democrat is Among the State's Wealthiest; George Norcross III made njbiz.com's list at No. 41.", Cherry Hill, NJ Patch, July 8, 2015. Accessed August 8, 2019. "George E. Norcross III made the list at No. 41. The 58-year-old Cherry Hill resident is worth $248.5 million, and made his wealth through banking, insurance and politics."
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