West Orange was originally part of the Native AmericanHackensack clan's territory, for over 10,000 years. The Hackensack were a phratry of the Unami tribe of the Lenni Lenape. In their language, "Leni Lenape" means, "the original people."[27] The Acquackanonk sub-tribe were located along the Passaic River. They were part of the Algonquin language family, and known as "Delaware Indians" by the 18th century. They identified themselves with the totem of the Turtle. They were hunter-gatherers, matrilineal, and had cultural traditions such as wedding ceremonies. Northfield Avenue and Old Indian Road in West Orange, remain as original Hackensack trails. Their main settlement was where the city of Hackensack is today. They would travel to the ocean or mountains to hunt for food. The Passaic River runs in an upside-down V shape—8 miles (13 km) west and east, and 13 miles (21 km) north of West Orange. In the centuries prior to industrial development, the Passaic River and Watchung Mountains were major geographic landmarks amidst the untouched wilderness.
West Orange is located at the peak of the Watchung Mountains. This vantage point over the valleys east to Manhattan had a strategic value for Lenni Lenape warriors, and later George Washington's troops during the American Revolution. The wooded South Mountain Reservation has rocks shaped like the backs of large turtles. The area is now known as "Turtle Back Rock Picnic Area" and gives its name to the Turtle Back Zoo. The Turtle Back Rocks were considered sacred to the Native Americans.[citation needed]
The Native Americans were hunter-gatherer tribes who would overlap territories and occasionally had tribal wars, but did not "own" land. They believed in taking only what was immediately necessary from nature, and considering the needs of the next seven generations. This hospitality at first benefited the European settlers, who struggled in the wilderness after reaching North America's shores. In the 1500s and 1600s, the territory was disputed and transferred many times between the Hackensack, Dutch, Scottish, Swedes, and English colonists. Due to the wars between the Native Americans and European settlers, most European settlers stayed East of the Hudson River. In 1664, the English took possession of Dutch New Netherland. On October 28, 1664, The English purchased 780 square miles (2,000 km2) of land from the Hackensack, from Staten Island to the Passaic River on the North to the Raritan River on the South, for about 154 English pounds. This is known as the "Elizabethtown Purchase."[28]
In 1666, Puritan Captain Robert Treat moved south to New Jersey from Connecticut and purchased a tract of land from Governor Carteret, west of the Passaic River and 8 miles (13 km) east of what is currently West Orange. However, the Hackensack tribe disputed this purchase, and said it was not included in the Elizabethtown Purchase. On July 11, 1667, Treat settled the purchase through Samuel Efsal, a Lenni Lenape interpreter. He then founded "New Ark" or Newark, establishing it as a Puritan theocracy, as had been done in Milford, CT. The Newark territory kept extending West as the English overthrew the Dutch and claimed or purchased more Hackensack territory. This expansion was effected primarily by individual property owners, who would purchase tracts of land bit by bit. Sometimes they would name it after themselves or where they were from in Europe. Often the borders were not clearly defined, and few if any maps remain.[29]
In 1678, Anthony Olive became the first European to settle in what is now West Orange. He was of Dutch origin. He started a farm at the base of the mountains—in what is now Llewellyn Park. It was still untouched wilderness. In 1702, New Jersey became a royal colony of England. By 1706 what is now West Orange—was considered part of Essex County in the East Jersey territory.[30]
By the 1700s West Orange was known as part of the Newark Mountains. During the American Revolution, the valleys were populated by farms and mills. The area on Main Street now known as "Tory Corner" was called Williamstown, after two brothers Nathaniel and Benjamin Williams. Nathaniel and his two eldest sons were Loyalists to the British crown, and gathered other Loyalists for meetings. Nathaniel took his eldest sons James and Amos to join the British Army in 1777, and never returned. Meanwhile, Nathaniel's wife Mary Williams stayed on the farm with her younger children. Her farm house had been built in 1720. She gave freely to Washington's revolutionary troops. James finally returned to the farm decades later, to reunite with his mother Mary. Nathaniel and Amos never returned. Nathaniel died of smallpox in New York. A plaque to Mary Williams was erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1922.
West Orange was initially a part of Newark township, and remained so until November 27, 1806, when the territory now encompassing all of The Oranges was detached to form Orange Township.[31] On April 13, 1807, the first government was elected. On January 31, 1860, Orange was incorporated as a town, and on April 3, 1872, it was reincorporated as a city.[31] Almost immediately, Orange began fragmenting into smaller communities, primarily because of local disputes about the costs of establishing paid police, fire and street departments. South Orange was organized on April 1, 1861, Fairmount Township (an independent municipality for less than one year that was later to become part of West Orange) on March 11, 1862, and East Orange on March 4, 1863.[31] West Orange (including what had been the briefly independent municipality of Fairmount) was incorporated as a township on April 10, 1863, and was reformed as a town on February 28, 1900.[31][32] In 1980, West Orange again became a township to take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated a greater share of government aid to municipalities classified as townships.[33][34][35]
The Eagle Rock Reservation covers 400 acres (160 ha) in West Orange, Montclair and Verona. It was home to many eagles. It currently is the trail head for the Lenni Lenape Trail.[38] Rock Spring is located at the bottom of the Turtle Back Rocks—currently at the corner of Northfield Avenue and Walker Road, West Orange. The water from the spring was considered to have healing powers since Native American times. By the 19th century, visitors from New York City would come to West Orange to drink the water from this spring for its supposed curative powers. West Orange became a resort or country retreat—with boating, fishing, and an Amusement Park at Crystal Lake near Eagle Rock Reservation. In 1901, the first uphill automobile test took place called the Eagle Rock Hill Climb.[39]
Llewellyn Park, the first planned community in America, is located within West Orange, and was designed by entrepreneur Llewellyn Haskell and architect Alexander Jackson Davis in 1857.[40] Llewellyn Park is considered among the best examples of the "Romantic Landscape" movement of that period.[41]
Thomas Edison was one of the many residents.[42]Thomas Edison's Laboratory, currently a National Historical Park, was where he developed the inventions that earned more than 1,000 patents, including the light bulb, stock ticker and recorded sound. The laboratory grounds also include the Black Maria—America's first movie studio, the birthplace of Hollywood.[43] The whole idea of a movie industry was first born in West Orange. The town's movie industry rapidly began to spreading to surrounding areas. Eventually the industry spread to Fort Lee, New Jersey, in 1907, which offered inexpensive land for movie production studios that could be located in close proximity to New York City.[44] In response to the demands by the Edison Trust for royalties from studios, independent studios located in the Fort Lee area started to relocate to what is now Hollywood, California, where they could operate in good weather year-round, out of reach of Edison and his trust.[45]
In the late 1800s, the Valley region of West Orange was home to 34 hat factories, known as the hat making capital of the country. It is currently under redevelopment as 'Hat City' or 'The Valley Arts District'.[46] Until its closure in 1983, the Orange Quarry Company was located in West Orange, where bluestone was mined.[47]
Post-World War II, there was a real estate development boom in West Orange. In the 1960s, "white flight" from the 1967 Newark riots and Civil Rights Era led to further settlement of West Orange. The 1970 opening of Interstate 280 made West Orange a popular "bedroom community" suburb for commuters to New York City. This coincided with changes to immigration laws re-opening the country to Asian immigration in 1965, and 1980s desegregation of American suburbs. By the 1990s, West Orange had become a "melting pot", home to a diverse and international community. Many of the industries that had made West Orange grow, left the area by the 1960s. This left some urban blight and abandoned warehouses in the Valley, in contrast to wealthy communities on top of the mountains.
It is currently home to Kessler Institute, where actor Christopher Reeve rehabilitated, and Daughters of Israel. It is also home to many Jewish synagogues and Korean churches.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 12.13 square miles (31.41 km2), including 12.00 square miles (31.09 km2) of land and 0.12 square miles (0.32 km2) of water (1.01%).[2][3] It is located approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) west of downtown Newark and 12 miles (19 km) west of New York City. West Orange is in the New York metropolitan area.
The township has an eclectic mix of neighborhoods and housing types, which roughly correspond to the township's geographic features. Generally, the township has four distinct neighborhoods:
Downtown West Orange and The Valley
The oldest and most densely populated part of the township is Downtown West Orange, which lies in the low basin along the township's eastern border with the city of Orange and Montclair. Main Street, in this section, is home to the Thomas Edison National Historical Park, as well as the municipal building, police headquarters, and a branch post office. The West Orange Public Library is located on Mount Pleasant Avenue in this section, just west of Main Street. Downtown West Orange is laid out in the pattern of a traditional town, and is formed around the western termini of two major east–west arteries of the Newark street grid: Central Avenue and Park Avenue. Downtown West Orange has the most urban character of the township's neighborhoods, while the Valley is home to a growing arts district, the West Orange Arts Center, Luna Stage and a sizable African American community.[citation needed]
The First Mountain
West of Downtown, the neighborhoods of West Orange become increasingly suburban as one ascends the steep hill of the First Watchung Mountain along Northfield, Mount Pleasant, or Eagle Rock Avenue. The housing stock in the neighborhoods of Hutton Park and Gregory is a mixture of Victorian, Jazz Age, and Tudor-style houses; large estates; garden apartments; and post-World War II modern houses. The Victorian enclave of Llewellyn Park, one of America's first planned residential communities, is also located on the First Mountain, having been created in 1853 as a site for country homes for the wealthy from New York City.[53] Many blocks on the First Mountain have sweeping views of the Newark and New York City skylines.[citation needed]
Pleasant Valley and Pleasantdale
Beyond the high ridge traced by Prospect Avenue, West Orange becomes a patchwork of post-World War II suburban neighborhoods, interspersed with pockets of older Victorian homes, as well as golf courses, professional campuses, and shopping centers. Pleasantdale, a walkable business district in this part of the township, includes a number of restaurants, office buildings, stores, and houses of worship. Pleasantdale is also home to a sizable Orthodox Jewish community.[25]
The Second Mountain
Finally, the westernmost section of West Orange lies along the eastern face of the Second Watchung Mountain, and includes large portions of the South Mountain Reservation. The housing stock in this neighborhood resembles that of Pleasantdale, as well as those of the adjacent suburban townships of Millburn and Livingston.[citation needed]
West Orange township, Essex County, New Jersey – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The 2010 United States census counted 46,207 people, 16,790 households, and 11,753 families in the township. The population density was 3,836.0 per square mile (1,481.1/km2). There were 17,612 housing units at an average density of 1,462.1 per square mile (564.5/km2). The racial makeup was 57.15% (26,406) White, 26.58% (12,284) Black or African American, 0.38% (174) Native American, 7.96% (3,680) Asian, 0.02% (10) Pacific Islander, 4.82% (2,227) from other races, and 3.09% (1,426) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 16.20% (7,487) of the population.[22]
Of the 16,790 households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18; 53.1% were married couples living together; 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.0% were non-families. Of all households, 25.5% were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.28.[22]
23.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 88.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 83.2 males.[22]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $88,917 (with a margin of error of +/− $4,480) and the median family income was $106,742 (+/− $5,256). Males had a median income of $65,854 (+/− $4,548) versus $43,223 (+/− $2,769) for females. The per capita income for the township was $43,368 (+/− $2,021). About 4.9% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.[68]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[17] there were 44,943 people, 16,480 households, and 11,684 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,708.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,431.9/km2). There were 16,901 housing units at an average density of 1,394.7 per square mile (538.5/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 67.6% White, 17.5% African American, 0.14% Native American, 8.09% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.52% from other races, and 3.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 10.04% of the population.[61][62]
There were 16,480 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.19. In the township the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.[61][62]
The median income for a household in the town was $69,254, and the median income for a family was $83,375. Males had a median income of $52,029 versus $39,484 for females. The per capita income for the township was $34,412. About 4.6% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.[61][62]
Economy
Developed by Sol Atlas,[69] Essex Green Shopping Center is an outdoor mall with stores that include ShopRite, restaurants and an AMC Theatres Fork and Screen dine-in movie theater.[70] The 350,000-square-foot (33,000 m2) mall, the largest of its type in Essex County, was purchased in 2016 by Clarion Partners.[71]
Sports
The Jersey Rockhoppers hockey team of the Eastern Professional Hockey League, formed for the 2008–09 season, played home games at the Richard J. Codey Arena.[72] The arena also used to be the practice facility for the New Jersey Devils from 1986 to 2007. The New Jersey Daredevils, a special needs hockey team formed in 2002 that plays in the SHI (Special Hockey International League), uses the arena for home games and practices. Annually in October, the Daredevils host a Halloween themed tournament for Special Hockey International teams (including the Daredevils themselves) called Frankenfest. Frankenfest has been going on every October since 2009. The New Jersey Devils Youth Hockey team also plays here as well.
West Orange Municipal Building at Main Street and Mount Pleasant Avenue
West Orange is governed by Plan B of the Mayor-Council system of municipal government pursuant to the Faulkner Act, as implemented on July 1, 1962, by direct petition.[75] The township is one of 71 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[76] The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a five-member township council. The mayor is directly elected to a four-year term. Each member of the council is elected to a four-year term of on a staggered basis, with either three council seats or two seats and the mayoral seat up for election in even-numbered years. Township elections are nonpartisan, with all seats chosen on an at-large basis.[8][77] In December 2013, the Township Council approved an ordinance that shifted municipal elections from May to the November general election, citing savings from the combined elections estimated as much as $100,000 per cycle.[78]
As of 2023[update], the Mayor of West Orange is Susan McCartney, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026.[4] Members of the Township Council are Michelle Casalino (2024), Asmeret Ghebremicael (2026), H. William Rutherford (2024), Susan Scarpa (2026) and Tammy Williams (2024).[79][80][81][82][83]
In September 2015, the Township Council selected Michelle Casalino to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by Patty Spango until her resignation from office. On November 8, 2016, Councilwoman Casalino was elected to a four-year term.[84]
Municipal court
Officers of the municipal court as of 2014 were:[85]
Dennis Dowd – Chief Judge
Dawn Donahue – Municipal Judge
Joseph Wenzel – Municipal Prosecutor
Joseph Deer – Public Defender
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 30,561 registered voters in West Orange, of which 14,166 (46.4%) were registered as Democrats, 3,273 (10.7%) were registered as Republicans and 13,108 (42.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties.[86]
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 71.3% of the vote (15,214 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 27.9% (5,950 votes), and other candidates with 0.8% (177 votes), among the 21,491 ballots cast by the township's 32,061 registered voters (150 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 67.0%.[87][88] In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 67.8% of the vote (15,423 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 29.3% (6,667 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (154 votes), among the 22,740 ballots cast by the township's 30,260 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.1%.[89] In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 64.7% of the vote (13,535 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 34.0% (7,118 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (186 votes), among the 20,933 ballots cast by the township's 28,418 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 73.7.[90]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Democrat Barbara Buono received 56.0% of the vote (6,350 cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 42.9% (4,863 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (125 votes), among the 11,580 ballots cast by the township's 32,390 registered voters (242 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 35.8%.[91][92] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 59.3% of the vote (8,168 ballots cast), ahead of Republican Chris Christie with 32.9% (4,530 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 6.2% (858 votes) and other candidates with 0.7% (100 votes), among the 13,773 ballots cast by the township's 29,898 registered voters, yielding a 46.1% turnout.[93]
Federal, state, and county representation
West Orange is split between the 10th Congressional District[94] and is part of New Jersey's 27th state legislative district.[95][96][97]
Prior to the 2010 Census, West Orange had been split between the 8th Congressional District and the 10th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.[98] In the redistricting that took effect in 2013, 18,122 residents in the eastern third of the township were placed in the 10th district, while 28,085 residents in the western portion of the township were placed in the 11th District.[99][100]
Essex County is governed by a directly elected county executive, with legislative functions performed by the Board of County Commissioners. As of 2025[update], the County Executive is Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. (D, Roseland), whose four-year term of office ends December 31, 2026.[105] The county's Board of County Commissioners is composed of nine members, five of whom are elected from districts and four of whom are elected on an at-large basis. They are elected for three-year concurrent terms and may be re-elected to successive terms at the annual election in November.[106] Essex County's Commissioners are:
Constitutional officers elected countywide are:
Clerk Christopher J. Durkin (D, West Caldwell, 2025),[120][121]
Register of Deeds Juan M. Rivera Jr. (D, Newark, 2029),[122][123]
Sheriff Amir Jones (D, Newark, 2027),[124][125] and
Surrogate Alturrick Kenney (D, Newark, 2028).[126][127]
The West Orange Public Schools serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2019–20 school year, the district, comprised of 12 schools, had an enrollment of 6,718 students and 632.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.6:1.[128] Schools in the district (with 2019–20 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics[129]) are
Betty Maddalena Early Learning Center[130] (with 71 students in Pre-K),
Gregory Elementary School[131] (454 students; in grades K–5),
Hazel Avenue Elementary School[132] (320; K–5),
Kelly Elementary School[133] (455; Pre-K–5),
Mount Pleasant Elementary School[134] (353; K–5),
Redwood Elementary School[135] (509; K–5),
St. Cloud Elementary School[136] (356; K–5),
Washington Elementary School[137] (417; K–5),
Thomas A. Edison Middle School[138] (516; 6),
Liberty Middle School[139] (536; 7–8),
Roosevelt Middle School[140] (487; 7–8) and
West Orange High School[141] (2,098; 9–12).[142][143] Pleasantdale School was renamed Kelly School in May 2016 in honor of Mark and Scott Kelly, identical twins who attended the school starting in second grade before becoming NASA astronauts.[144]
Golda Och Academy is a private Jewish day school that offers secular and religious education for Jewish children from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade at two campuses in West Orange.[147]
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 114.54 miles (184.33 km) of roadways, of which 89.63 miles (144.25 km) were maintained by the municipality, 19.45 miles (31.30 km) by Essex County and 5.46 miles (8.79 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[148]
Interstate 280 is the main limited access road that passes through from east to west.[149]Route 10[150] passes through in the western area and has its eastern terminus at CR 577 (which runs north–south through the township).[151]CR 508 traverses the municipality from east to west.[152][153]
Public transportation
NJ Transit offers bus service in the township to Newark on the 21, 29, 71, 73 and 79 routes, with local service on the 97 route. NJT also offers service to Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City with the 101 route.[154][155][156] In September 2012, as part of budget cuts, NJ Transit suspended service to Newark on the 75 line.[157]
Thomas Edison's Black Maria, the first movie studio ever, was located on Main Street and Lakeside Avenue. From the late 1960s/early–1970s until the early 1990s UHFTV channel 68 maintained their offices, studios, and transmitter at 416 Eagle Rock Avenue. After Channel 68 moved to West Market Street in Newark, and their transmitter to the Empire State Building in Manhattan, NBC owned and operated stations WNBC-TV Channel 4 and WPXN-TV Channel 31 (NBC later sold its interest in WPXN's parent Paxson Communications) moved into the Eagle Rock Avenue complex operating backup transmitter facilities in case of a catastrophic event such as the destruction of their main transmitters at the World Trade Center which occurred during the September 11 terrorist attacks. West Orange was formerly the home of two religious radio stations, WFME 1560AM licensed to New York City and WFME 106.3FM licensed to Mount Kisco, New York, and one now-defunct non-commercial station WNYJ-TV licensed to West Milford, New Jersey, all owned by Family Stations, Inc., WFME-FM formerly operated on 94.7 until its sale to Cumulus Media in 2012 and renamed WNSH. In late 2020, Family Radio permanently closed its West Orange studios and began to operate from their transmitter facilities, WFME-AM in Maspeth, Queens in New York (In February 2021 the AM station ceased broadcasting temporarily after the land the transmitter was on was sold[161][162]) and WFME-FM near Bedford, New York. WFMU 91.1FM formerly owned by Upsala College now owned by Auricle Communications has their transmitter towers on Marcella Avenue. Verizon Communications, going as far back as the mid to late 1950s and early 1960s when it was New Jersey Bell, operated an analog central office and later fiber optics facilities on Prospect Avenue near the Essex Green Shopping Center and a fiber optics and satellite transmitter facility which was originally owned and operated by MCI Inc. until it was acquired by Verizon in 2006.
In popular culture
In the HBO crime drama The Sopranos, West Orange is the location of Livia Soprano's retirement home, Green Grove.[163] The township was also used in various other episodes as the series was largely filmed on location in North Jersey.
In the 2009 action-comedy film Paul Blart: Mall Cop, the titular character lives in West Orange and works at the (fictional) West Orange Pavilion Mall.[164]
Jean Byrne (1926–2015), educator who served as the First Lady of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982 during the tenure of her former husband, two-term Governor Brendan Byrne[178]
Mary Jo Codey (born 1955), healthcare activist and former First Lady of New Jersey[186]
Richard Codey (born 1946), state senator who served as acting governor of New Jersey in 2002 and as governor from 2004 until 2006[187] (Now resides in neighboring Roseland)
Theodore Miller Edison (1898–1992), only child of his inventor father who graduated from college; went on to become an inventor with over 80 patents[200]
Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931), inventor of the phonograph, the incandescent electric lightbulb, and the first practical motion picture camera whose home was Glenmont Mansion. Edison's Black Maria, the first movie studio, was located in West Orange[201]
Chris Gethard (born 1980), comedian, TV show host of The Chris Gethard Show, author of Weird New York and an associate editor of the Weird NJ publications[210]
John J. Giblin (1909–1975), labor leader and Democratic Party politician who served one term in the New Jersey Senate[211]
Carole King (born 1942) and Gerry Goffin (1939–2014), husband-and-wife songwriting team who resided off Pleasant Valley Way in the mid-1960s along with other songwriters, a location that gave rise to the song "Pleasant Valley Sunday," recorded by the Monkees in 1967[231]
George B. McClellan (1826–1885), major general and briefly general-in-chief of the Union Army during the Civil War who ran as a Democrat against Lincoln in the presidential election of 1864 and went on to become Governor of New Jersey (1878–1881)[238]
Rebecca Odes (born 1969), media entrepreneur, author and musician, who was the bassist and vocalist for the band Love Child and co-founded the website Gurl.com[244]
Fred Ott (1860–1936), an employee of Thomas Edison's in the 1890s who "starred" in two of the earliest surviving motion pictures – Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze (a.k.a. Fred Ott's Sneeze) and Fred Ott Holding a Bird – both filmed in 1894[247]
Amos Alonzo Stagg (1862–1965), known as "The Grand Old Man" of college football. During the founding year of the College Football Hall of Fame, he was inducted as both a player and a coach. He was among the first group of inductees into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959. He is also credited with the invention of the batting cage in baseball and the tackling dummy in football. West Orange's Stagg Field playground is named in his honor. Ranked #4 on the Sports Illustrated list of The 50 Greatest New Jersey Sports Figures[273]
Brandon Uranowitz (born 1986), stage and screen actor best known for his roles as Adam Hochberg in the musical An American in Paris and as Mendel Weisenbachfeld in the 2016 Broadway revival of Falsettos[280]
^Kuperinsky, Amy. "'The Jewel of the Meadowlands'?: N.J.'s best, worst and weirdest town slogans", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 22, 2015. Accessed July 12, 2016. "Edison's town seal is marked with 'Let There Be Light,' and its welcome signs say 'Birthplace of Recorded Sound', thanks to Thomas A. Edison's tinkering in Menlo Park, the same reason why a newer slogan for Essex County's West Orange – Edison later lived there – is 'Where Invention Lives'."
^Jacobs, Andrew. "Back From the Abyss", The New York Times, March 1, 2001. Accessed March 28, 2016. "It was 1997 and despite the region's revved-up economy, West Orange looked as if it were sliding into the abyss. Perched at the edge of New Jersey's most distressed urban places, this classic postwar suburb of 45,000 people faced a welter of seemingly intractable problems."
^Robbins, William. "Township Evicts an Indian Museum", The New York Times, August 20, 1981. Accessed February 19, 2023. "Though the latest census shows the population of Indians rising, the Lenapes, whose name means 'the original people,' have almost disappeared except for scattered remnants, mainly in Oklahoma and Canada."
^The First English Purchase of Land in New Jersey, Descendants of Founders of New Jersey. Accessed November 7, 2019. "On October 28, 1664, representatives of the Association, John Bailey Daniel Denton and Luke Watson and John Baker acting as interpreter, met in the wigwam of Mattano on Staten Island and purchased 500,000 acres of New Jersey (what is now Union, Somerset, Middlesex, Morris, Essex, Counties); land bounded by the Achter Kull, the Passaic River in the north, the Raritan River in the South, and extending to the west thirty-four miles."
^1666 – The Founding of Newark, Descendants of Founders of New Jersey. Accessed November 7, 2019. "In 1666, Captain Robert Treat, after scouting several locations, successfully completed arrangements with Governor Carteret to settle a plantation on the Passaic River, in the northern section of what was known as the Elizabethtown purchase. He bore a letter to be presented to the chief Hackensack Indian Sachems; however, when the first settlers arrived they were warned off by the Indians who disputed their claims of ownership. Carteret refused to negotiate with the Indians, claiming that the area had been purchased as part of Elizabethtown."
^Narvaez, Alfonso A. "New Jersey Journal", The New York Times, December 27, 1981. Accessed September 24, 2015. "Under the Federal system, New Jersey's portion of the revenuesharing funds is disbursed among the 21 counties to create three 'money pools.' One is for county governments, one for 'places' and a third for townships. By making the change, a community can use the township advantage to get away from the category containing areas with low per capita incomes."
^About Eagle Rock Reservation, Essex County, New Jersey Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. Accessed November 7, 2019. "The Eagle Rock Reservation is a 400+ acre park along the Watchung Mountains ridge line located between West Orange, Montclair and Verona.... Eagle Rock Reservation is a 408.33-acre tract of wooded land located in the central section of Essex County on the crest of Watchung's First Mountain. The mountain got its name in the early 19th century, when bald eagles were said to nest in the rocky cliffs on the eastern edge."
^Hillinger, Charles. "Hooray Fort Lee, N.J., Birthplace Of Film : Thomas Edison, D. W. Griffith and Other Pioneers Made It the Hollywood of the Pre-WWI Movie Industry", Los Angeles Times, July 3, 1986. Accessed December 18, 2019. "Fort Lee, N.J. – Film historian Thomas F. Hanlon stood outside the printing company plant that was Universal Studios before World War I, when this town was the film capital of the world.... 'Hundreds of films were produced in Fort Lee from 1903 to 1927, most during its heyday, 1908 to 1917,' Hanlon said.... It was in West Orange in 1888 that Edison began his experiments with motion pictures with the help of assistant William K.L. Dickson and others."
^Klein, Christopher. "The Renegade Roots of Hollywood Studios Film studios Universal and Paramount started 100 years ago as insurgent “indies” challenging Thomas Edison’s powerful cartel.", History, April 30, 2012, updated September 1, 2018. Accessed December 18, 2019. "Audiences flocked to the longer, star-studded films produced by the upstart independents, who soon made an exodus from the film capital of the world—Fort Lee, New Jersey—to Hollywood, California. In 1912 Laemmle and William Fox, who would eventually launch the studio that became 20th Century Fox, both filed antitrust actions against the Edison Trust. In 1915 a federal district court ruled the trust was indeed a monopoly, and it was soon dissolved."
^Martin, Antoinette. "In the Region/New Jersey; Hat Factory Is a Focus of Redevelopment in Orange", The New York Times, May 9, 2004. Accessed November 7, 2019. "In the heyday of hats at the beginning of the 20th century, the Valley neighborhood of Orange claimed to be the nation's biggest producer. There were 34 hat-making factories clustered in one small part of this town, including the F. Berg Hat Manufacturing Company complex of three huge buildings."
^Garbarine, Rachelle. "New Life for a New Jersey Development", The New York Times, August 9, 1996. Accessed November 7, 2019. "A housing development that was begun on the site of a former quarry in West Orange, N.J., in the 1980s and later abandoned is being revived by new owners, but at a much smaller scale.... The site was part of the 60-acre Orange Quarry that for most of this century was mined for bluestone that was used for highway construction in the area. It closed in 1983."
^About the Rahway River Watershed, Rahway River Watershed Association. Accessed November 27, 2016. "The Rahway River is approximately 24-mile long and consists of four distinct branches. The West Branch, begins in West Orange and flows south through South Mountain Reservation and directly through downtown Millburn."
^Home Page, Essex Green. Accessed October 30, 2014.
^"Clarion Partners Acquires Essex Green in New Jersey", Shopping Center Business, March 8, 2016. Accessed January 10, 2017. "Clarion Partners has acquired Essex Green, a six-building, 350,000-square-foot shopping center located in West Orange, free and clear of existing debt. Essex Green shopping center is the largest community shopping center in Essex County."
^Stephenson, Colin. "Jersey Rockhoppers ready to drop puck", The Star-Ledger, October 30, 2008. Accessed October 3, 2013. "But the Eastern Professional Hockey League is nevertheless set to debut this weekend in four markets in the Greater New York area, with one of the league's teams based in northern New Jersey. The Jersey Rockhoppers, who will play their home games at the Richard J. Codey Arena in West Orange, are set to open up at 7:30 p.m. Saturday with a home game against the Brooklyn Aces."
^Stevens, Melinda. "Township Council Approves Ordinance to Move Elections to November; The council approved the ordinance on Dec. 3 with a majority vote of 4-1.", West Orange Patch, December 7, 2013. Accessed October 30, 2014. "The Township Council voted to approve Ordinance No. 2392-13, which will move nonpartisan municipal elections from May to November, at the Dec. 3 township council meeting.... Mayor Robert Parisi initiated the change last month and recommended the election be moved for various reasons, including trying to save the taxpayers money and keeping the residents and students of the West Orange School District safe."
^Harewood, Chris. "Michelle Casalino is Appointed as Next Councilwoman", Tap Into West Orange, September 26, 2015. Accessed July 4, 2016. "In Tuesday's special West Orange Town Council meeting, Board of Education member Michelle Casalino was appointed to fill the position left behind by resigned Councilwoman Patty Spango. "
^General Information, Essex County, New Jersey. Accessed July 20, 2020. "The County Executive, elected from the County at-large, for a four-year term, is the chief political and administrative officer of the County.... The Board of Chosen Freeholders consists of nine members, five of whom are elected from districts and four of whom are elected at-large. They are elected for three-year concurrent terms and may be re-elected to successive terms at the annual election in November. There is no limit to the number of terms they may serve."
^Pearlman Robert Z."Kelly Elementary: Astronaut Twins Honored with Grade School Renaming", Space.com, May 19, 2016. Accessed May 20, 2016. "Mark and Scott Kelly, who 44 years ago transferred into the second grade at Pleasantdale Elementary, returned to West Orange, New Jersey for the renaming of their alma mater. Kelly Elementary School was dedicated to the two hometown heroes during an outdoor ceremony held on the front lawn the school with city and school leaders, students and teachers."
^Rouse, Karen. "N.J. Transit bus No. 75, running from Passaic County to Newark, will no longer operate", The Record, August 29, 2012. Accessed August 5, 2015. "Starting Saturday, the NJ Transit No. 75 bus – which runs from Butler through Pompton Lakes, Pequannock, Wayne and Little Falls on its way to Newark – will no longer operate as NJ Transit's plan to save $2.5 million in operating costs takes effect."
^Strauss, Robert. "The Tony Tour; How to survive a season without The Sopranos", Philadelphia Daily News, April 10, 2000. Accessed June 17, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Shove on west along I-280 now to the nice, bucolic town of West Orange. One of the more bucolic places is the Green Hill Retirement Home, 103 Pleasant Valley Way. In "The Sopranos," that is where Tony made reluctant pilgrimages to see Livia, his not-so-loving mom, while she was recovering from a stroke at the Green Grove Retirement Home."
^Singh, Prerna. "Where Was Paul Blart: Mall Cop Filmed?", The Cinemaholic, August 7, 2022. Accessed April 13, 2023. "Paul Blart lives in West Orange, New Jersey, and takes up a job at the West Orange Pavilion Mall as a security guard."
^Oral history interview with Edgar and Joyce Anderson, 2002 September 17-19, Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Accessed June 27, 2022. "Mrs. Anderson: We were living in West Orange up to a certain point, and we started building this house in 1951, ’52, and we were really working on clearing the land and getting preliminaries going for a couple of years because we did it on weekends and a couple of weeks in the summer, but never full-time for a while."
^"Dr. Treena Livingston Arinzeh", The Rutgers African-American Alumni Alliance. September 1, 2006. Accessed January 1, 2018. "Dr. Arinzeh was born and raised in Cherry Hill, New Jersey to Marva Livingston and the late Andrew Livingston, Jr. She currently lives in West Orange, New Jersey where she is happily married to Uzo Arinzeh, Rutgers alumnus from class of 1990 and Wall Street executive, and has two children, Nneka and Quintin Arinzeh."
^Elliott, Walter. "Essex County Olympians: Then and Now", LocalTalkNews.com, August 23, 2012. Accessed October 25, 2015. "West Orange: Mike Austin (b. 1943) Swimming, 1 GLD, 1964 SO"
^Huberman, Andrew D. "Ben Barres (1954-2017)", Nature, January 2, 2018. Accessed February 16, 2018. "Barres was raised in West Orange, New Jersey"
^McFaul, Lauren. "Kool's gang freshens rock with funk", The Spokesman-Review, June 3, 1985. Accessed October 25, 2015. "Ronald Bell has a studio in his West Orange, N.J., home and from there has worked on production for Kool & the Gang's last six albums."
^Campbell, Mary. "Cast is good, story terrible at New York City opera", Courier News, March 19, 1971. Accessed March 13, 2021. "The cast in the New York State Theater was good, Eugene Holmes, baritone from St. Louis as the black man, Harry Theyard as the scientist, Beverly Wolff splendid as his wife and Joanna Bruno as their daughter.... Miss Bruno, of West Orange, N.J., was making her debut with the company."
^Golway, Terry. "When Codey Talks, He Talks to Them", The New York Times, October 31, 2004. Accessed November 5, 2007. "Essex County, home of the state's largest city, Newark, and a diverse population of nearly 800,000, has not had a governor to call its own since Brendan T. Byrne – another native of West Orange – left office January 1982."
^ abAllis, Tim. "The Boys Are Back", People, November 1, 1993. Accessed May 4, 2011. "David, by contrast, spent his earliest years as an only child in a row house in West Orange, N.J., with his mother, stage actress Evelyn Ward, who was divorced from Jack when David was 3."
^Fowler, Glenn. "Joan Caulfield, A Film Actress, Is Dead at 69", The New York Times, June 20, 1991. Accessed May 23, 2012. "Miss Caulfield, who was a native of West Orange, N.J., attended Columbia University and was a fashion model and a cover girl before she landed ingenue roles on Broadway in the early 1940s."
^Mansnerus, Laura. "Choosing Her Fights, While She Can", The New York Times, January 29, 2005. Accessed June 28, 2018. "Mrs. Codey, 49, grew up in West Orange, where she and her husband now live with their sons, Kevin, 20, and Christopher, 16."
^Biography, Cicely Cottingham. Accessed June 28, 2018. "Cicely Cottingham currently lives and works in West Orange, New Jersey."
^ abRoss, Barbara. "'Naughty' Guys Are Arrested On Gun Charges", New York Daily News, June 14, 1997. Accessed January 29, 2011. "Two members of the Grammy-winning rap group Naughty by Nature were charged yesterday with carrying loaded and unlicensed 9-mm. pistols. Anthony (Treach) Criss, 26, and Vincent (Vinnie) Brown, 26, both of West Orange, N.J., were arraigned on felony charges of criminal possession of a weapon."
^Hepp, Mark. "A killer's final insult", The Star-Ledger, March 3, 2006. Accessed October 30, 2014. "'Yes, I can,' said Cullen, a slightly built, 46-year-old West Orange native who did not look at the judge or the 21 people who addressed him as he sat at the defense table in Somerset County's Historic Courthouse."
^Jailer, Mildred. "Preserving the Victorian Look", The New York Times, March 19, 1978. Accessed November 1, 2018. "Together with the Bloomfield Historical Society, the North Jersey group has purchased a tombstone for the previously unmarked grave of Alexander Jackson Davis, the noted Victorian who lived in Llewellyn Park in West Orange."
^Staff. "The Region; Frank Dodd in Race", The New York Times, February 4, 1981. Accessed October 30, 2014. "Senator Frank J. Dodd, Democrat of West Orange, became the fourth person to announce formally that he is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor."
^ ab"The State of Jazz: Meet 40 More Jersey Greats", The Star-Ledger, September 28, 2003, backed up by the Internet Archive as of September 27, 2008. Accessed September 15, 2017. "Billy Drummond -- An exciting drummer who lives in West Orange with his wife, pianist Renee Rosnes, Drummond has performed and/or recorded with Rosnes, Sonny Rollins, Walt Weiskopf, Steve Kuhn, Carla Bley, Wallace Roney, the Drummonds and many others."
^Pace, Eric. "Theodore M. Edison; An Illustrious Father Guided Inventor, 94", The New York Times, November 26, 1992. Accessed May 23, 2012. "Theodore M. Edison, an inventor, environmentalist and philanthropist who was the last surviving child of the inventor Thomas Alva Edison, died on Tuesday at his home in West Orange. He was 94 years old."
^Thomas Edison National Historical Park, govnotes.com. Accessed November 5, 2007. "Half of Edison's astonishing 1,093 patents were earned during the 44 years he lived in West Orange."
^"Eugenio Fernandi, 66, famed opera tenor", Echoes-Sentinel, August 15, 1991. Accessed October 25, 2015. "Born in Pisa, Italy, Mr. Fernandi lived in West Orange before moving to Millington four years ago."
^Knowles, Patrick. "Leo Fitzpatrick's Composed Cool", SOMA magazine, July 2006. Accessed October 25, 2015. "In fact, it would be safe to say that if he had not started cutting school to hang out in the skate spots of New York the 28-year-old might still be living in his small working-class hometown of West Orange, New Jersey."
^Shabe, John. "GDP's new video is all over Essex County", NJ Advance Media, October 28, 2009. Accessed October 25, 2015. "The NJUnderground tipped me to this new video from West Orange's GDP. He's in Gainesville, Fla. tonight about two weeks into his tour, but this video, 'Orange Water', really hit home."
^Staff. "Maclyn S. Goldman", The New York Times, November 21, 1977. Accessed November 1, 2018. "Maclyn S. Goldman, a New Jersey State Senator from 1965 to 1967 and founder of the Goldman, Goldman, Caprio law firm of East Orange, N.J., died Friday in his home at 6 Spring Hill Drive in West Orange, N.J."
^Biography, Allan Gorman. Accessed October 21, 2015. "Allan Gorman currently maintains a studio practice in Kearny, NJ, and resides in West Orange, NJ."
^Margulis, Elise Phillips. "West Orange Native Athlete Banned from Olympic Village Due to Sexual Misconduct Allegations", TAPinto West Orange, July 27, 2021. Accessed July 9, 2023. "Alen Hadzic, a 29-year-old West Orange native who graduated from Montclair High School, was temporarily suspended in June by the US Center for SafeSport when three women reported him for sexual misconduct between 2013 and 2015. Hadzic denies the allegations."
^Acts of the General Assembly of the State of New-Jersey, p. 910. I. Collins, 1873. Accessed May 27, 2016. "An Act_to change the name of Thomas Frost Haskell: Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly the State of New Jersey, That the name of Thomas Frost Haskell, of the township of West Orange, in the county of Essex, be and the same is hereby changed to Llewellyn Frost Haskell... Approved January 29, 1873."
^"Hebble at West Side", The Ridgewood News, February 16, 1978. Accessed August 25, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "A West Orange resident, Robert Hebble's career also includes reviewing choral music for Music magazine, arranging for the Uniroyal, glee club, coaching actors preparing for Broadway roles and teaching at Stevens."
^McManus, Jane. "Will Hill suspended 6 games", ESPN New York, May 30, 2014. Accessed October 30, 2014. "The Giants signed Hill, a native of West Orange, New Jersey, in 2012 as a free agent."
^Feeney, Michael J. "Saddle River home is base for Ja Rule's new MTV reality series", The Record, November 7, 2015. Accessed November 8, 2016. "Atkins and his wife met as teenagers growing up in Hollis, Queens, and have been together ever since. As his career took off, they moved to West Orange, and then married in 2001 and moved to Saddle River."
^Roche, Megan. "Former Radio City Rockette Still Shares Joy of Dance", p,. 53, Mt. Olive Life, December 2019. Accessed July 13, 2020. "Jennifer Jones, a Rockette that began her journey in 187, hails from Randolph. A proud graduate of Randolph High School and County College of Morris, Jones also holds a special place in the history books as she was the first African American Rockette ever cast.... As for her life today, she currently resides in West Orange."
^La Gorce, Tammy. "New Jersey's Magic Moments", The New York Times, October 30, 2005. Accessed November 1, 2018. "Take Goffin and King's Pleasant Valley Sunday. Nudged by Mr. Kirshner, who lived in South Orange in the early 1960s, Mr. Emerson began: 'Jerry Goffin and Carole King, at that time a married couple, moved from Brooklyn to West Orange. They lived kind of uncomfortably in this suburban setting, with swimming pools in the backyard and barbecues. They were rock 'n' roll songwriters, after all. They also lived very near Pleasant Valley Way.'"
^La Gorce, Tammy. "Music; No Longer the Best Soul Singer Nobody Knows", The New York Times, February 19, 2006. Accessed November 1, 2018. "After trying to find joy everywhere from Memphis to New York City, Ms. LaVette, a ragged-voiced veteran soul singer, fades out with the pronouncement: 'So I went to West Orange.'"
^Blanding, Michael. "Barbara Lee: Wonder Woman", Boston, April 28, 2015. Accessed February 26, 2023. "Lee grew up in a middle-class Jewish home in West Orange, New Jersey—not white-picket fence, but close."
^Love, Rhoda M. "Georgia Mason: Eleven Summers Alone in the Wallowas", Native Plant Society of Oregon. Accessed October 30, 2014. "Mason, whose birth name was Georgia Mavropoulos, was born in West Orange, New Jersey, on March 16, 1910, the middle of three daughters of Greek immigrants Peter and Bessie Mavropoulos."
^Staff. "Nick Massi, Original Member of Four Seasons Pop Group", Los Angeles Times, December 30, 2000. Accessed October 30, 2014. "Nick Massi, 73, an original member of the vocal group the Four Seasons who handled bass vocals and vocal arrangements throughout the band's glory days. The longtime resident of West Orange, N.J., performed with several bands before joining Frankie Valli in a group called the Four Lovers."
^Joshua Maurer, Tour of Duty Pages. Accessed November 30, 2016. "Born in New Jersey, he attended West Orange High School and Sarah Lawrence College, where he obtained a B.A. degree in political science and appeared in many student stage productions."
^Ken Murray, Just Sports Stats. Accessed June 28, 2018.
^DeVorkin, David. "Oral Histories: Gordon Newkirk", American Institute of Physics, June 1, 1983. Accessed November 4, 2015. "DeVorkin: Dr. Newkirk, I know you were born in Orange, New Jersey on the 12th of June, 1928. But I know nothing else about your family, your early home life. Could you give me a review? Newkirk: Until I went to college, I lived in West Orange."
^Charles W. Nichols and Adelaide B. Nichols v. Commissioner., Leagle. Accessed October 30, 2014. "During the years 1955 and 1956, petitioner's home was in West Orange, New Jersey. It had about 16 rooms, a recreation room, and a swimming pool."
^Gordon, Jane, via Hartford Courant. "Controversy Surrounds Handbook For Teen Girls", Sun-Sentinel, March 15, 2000. Accessed December 24, 2021. "Esther Drill and Rebecca Odes grew up together as best friends in West Orange, N.J., learning about puberty and sex and experiencing all those crazy adolescent feelings."
^Herzog, Laura. "Broadway baby: 'Hamilton' star returns to N.J. alma mater", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 2, 2016. Accessed June 13, 2016. "Onaodowan grew up in West Orange with his parents and five sisters, and attended Gregory Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School, and West Orange High School, graduating in 2005, school officials said."
^Bumiller, Elisabeth. "Israeli Diplomat Is Man in Middle", The New York Times, September 17, 2012. Accessed November 19, 2012. "Raised in a conservative Jewish family in West Orange, N.J., Mr. Oren worked on a kibbutz at 15, was educated at Princeton and Columbia, immigrated to Israel and spent multiple tours in the Israeli Army, including a job as spokesman during an infamous low point for the military, its poor performance in the 2006 war in Lebanon."
^Knox, Erin. [sports.nyhistory.org/ann-probert/ Ann Probert], New-York Historical Society. Accessed June 28, 2018. "(Golf. Born, West Orange, NJ, Dec. 31, 1938.) Ann Linen Probert grew up around the game of golf, as she lived just a short distance from the 18th hole of the Rock Springs Country Club in West Orange."
^Staff. "Paul C. Reilly, 94, Architect and a Catholic Lay Leader", The New York Times, September 13, 1984. Accessed October 30, 2014. "Mr. Reilly, a native of New York City who later moved to West Orange, N. J., graduated from Columbia University and, early in his career, was chief designer for the former New York City architectural firm of Thomas W. Lamb."
^Conrad, Eileen. "John Renna: He got where he is the hard way", Asbury Park Press, April 25, 1982. Accessed June 28, 2018. "By virtue of the appointment, the 61-year-old West Orange resident, a longtime political friend of Gov. Thomas H. Kean, is chairman of the HFA, the Mortgage Finance Finance Agency, the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission and the Office of the Ombudsman for the Institutionalized Elderly."
^Bodley, Hal. "N.Y. Yankees Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto dies at 89", USA Today, August 15, 2007. Accessed July 3, 2008. "Rizzuto, who would have been 90 in September, died Tuesday from pneumonia after living his last several years in declining health at a West Orange, N.J., nursing home."
^"Roberts brings boxing back to the people", Herald News, August 15, 1989. Accessed February 20, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Marc Roberts, a 29-year-old entrepreneur, is a man with a dream and a vision....He was born in Newark, grew up in West Orange, now lives in South Orange. The 1980 graduate majored in business marketing at American University of Washington, D C., and already has made a mint in real estate and other things, including a cellular car phone business, as co-owner of Metropolis Cafe in Manhattan, and his Total Entertainment Modeling Agency."
^ abFagan, Joseph. "Romance Blossoms for Future President and First Lady in West Orange", TAP into West Orange, June 30, 2013. Accessed June 28, 2018. "Douglas Robinson Sr. and his wife Fanny Monroe Robinson came to West Orange about 1872, becoming a neighbor to General George McClellan along the ridge adjacent to Prospect Avenue.... But by 1894, Corinne Roosevelt Robinson so loved the country setting of Overlook that she persuaded Douglas to make the West Orange estate their principal residence. The Robinsons and their four children then moved to West Orange and lived here year round from 1894 to 1911."
^Kaufman, Michael T."Peter W. Rodino Dies at 96; Led House Inquiry on Nixon", The New York Times, May 8, 2005. Accessed November 25, 2007. "Peter W. Rodino Jr., an obscure congressman from the streets of Newark who impressed the nation by the dignity, fairness and firmness he showed as chairman of the impeachment hearings that induced Richard M. Nixon to resign as president, died yesterday at his home in West Orange, N.J.. He was 95."
^Kleinman, Max. "Soaring Above the Net", Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest NJ, July 30, 2008. Accessed May 25, 2021. "At first glance, Tamir Goodman and Jeffrey Rosen share little in common.... Jeff grew up in West Orange and expanded his family business, Rose Art Industries, into a major manufacturer of toys, stationery, and arts and crafts."
^Staff. "N.J. Statehouse to honor Sherry Ross", New Jersey Devils, March 22, 2010. Accessed April 11, 2011. "The resident of West Orange, NJ has covered the Stanley Cup Finals on 15 occasions, while attending the Kentucky Derby six times."
^Skelly, Richard. "Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone bringing the blues to Red Bank", Asbury Park Press, June 30, 2017. Accessed November 21, 2017. "Harmonica player-vocalist-accordionist "Jumpin' " Johnny Sansone, a West Orange native, will be accompanied by guitarist John Fohl, who rose to prominence as an excellent ensemble lead guitarist with Dr. John's Lower 911 small group."
^Duke, Katherine. "The Beauty of Coding", Amherst Magazine, Spring 2014. Accessed June 28, 2018. "Lyndsey Scott '06 has graced the runway for Victoria's Secret, Louis Vuitton and Fendi.... She wrote of her years as a skinny, bespectacled teen in West Orange, N.J., bullied by classmates, and of her later physical and professional development into a fashion model—a role that has undeniable perks, but in which 'many people are shocked to find out that I'm anything other than an airhead,' she wrote—'that I was a comp. sci. major and that I program iOS apps, for example.'"
^Senate Action, New Jersey Legislative Digest, June 22, 2000. Accessed November 21, 2017. "To Be A Member Of The New Jersey Historical Commission:... Carol Selman, of West Orange."
^Mueller, Mark. "Rutgers' oldest alumnus Walter Seward dies at 111", The Star-Ledger, September 15, 2008. Accessed January 29, 2011. "Long celebrated as the oldest Rutgers alumnus, the West Orange resident also was believed to be the most long-lived New Jerseyan and the third-oldest man in the United States, according to the Gerontology Research Group, a California organization that tracks the world's most venerable people."
^Wilson, Judy. "Crown Heights riot — fact, fiction, and plenty of blame"Archived July 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Jewish News, June 8, 2006. Accessed June 20, 2018. "Edward S. Shapiro is too skilled a historian to believe that there is one truth, but he is committed to exploring the varying narratives, examining the language of each, and skewering the biases in Crown Heights: Blacks, Jews, and the 1991 Brooklyn Riot (University Press of New England), the first and only book on the first and only anti-Jewish riot in American history.... Although he has lived in West Orange since 1969, where he and his wife, Daryl, belong to Congregation Ohr Torah and Congregation Ahawas Achim B'nai Jacob and David, cities fascinate him."
^Ginsberg, Johanna. "Local scholar organizes conference on history of Modern Orthodoxy"Archived September 16, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Jewish News, June 1, 2006. Accessed June 28, 2018. "A West Orange scholar is the co-organizer of the first-ever conference in America on the history of Modern Orthodoxy, to be held June 13–15 in Scranton, Pa. Marc B. Shapiro, who holds the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Chair in Jewish Studies at the University of Scranton, said the conference will take a historical view of the movement in order to explore its meaning for today."
^Wakin, Daniel J. "Alfredo Silipigni, 74, Who Founded an Opera Company, Dies", The New York Times, March 29, 2006. Accessed June 2, 2008. "Alfredo Silipigni, a conductor and specialist in lesser-known Italian operas who founded the New Jersey State Opera and ran it for four decades, died on Saturday in Livingston, N.J. He was 74 and lived in West Orange, N.J."
^Most Reverend Gregory J. Studerus, D.D., Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. Accessed March 12, 2024. "The son of the late John A. Studerus and Ann Rita Davis, Bishop Gregory J. Studerus was born on March 31, 1948, in Orange, New Jersey. He was raised in West Orange and has spent nearly four decades as an archdiocesan priest serving in Hudson County."
^"West Orange Jazz Musician to Release New CD This Week", TAPinto West Orange, September 15, 2020. Accessed May 20, 2023. "Isaiah J. Thompson, long time resident of West Orange, will be releasing his debut CD celebrating the music of Jazz legend Buddy Montgomery later this week."
^About Mark, MarkTrainor.com. Accessed January 17, 2011.
^Oster, Marcy. "Journalist Dadid Twersky dies", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, July 18, 2010. Accessed July 26, 2019. "David Twersky, a veteran journalist and former kibbutznik, has died. Twersky died last Friday night at his home in West Orange, N.J., following a long battle with cancer."
^Lappin, Joan. 'Jury Finds Madoff Really Didn't Do It Alone", Forbes, March 27, 2014. Accessed October 25, 2015. "He was really Albert Vilar, not Alberto, from West Orange, New Jersey although he was born to Cuban parents."
^Staff. "New Jersey Briefs", The New York Times, February 8, 1973. Accessed March 27, 2018. "The New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union announced yesterday that it would ask the United States Supreme Court to stay an election of the West Orange Board of Education until the name of a 16-year-old high school sophomore was included on the ballot. The A.C.L.U. said it was asking the Court to stay the election, scheduled for next Tuesday, until Stephen Vittoria was allowed to run for a place on the board."
^Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, 1971, p. 355. Accessed December 21, 2022. "Milton A. Waldor (Rep., West Orange) Senator Waldor was born in Newark, New Jersey, on September 28, 1924, and was educated in the Newark Public Schools, and was a graduate of Weequahic High School and Rutgers University Law School."
^Barnes, Mike. "Actress Evelyn Ward Dies at 89", The Hollywood Reporter, January 11, 2013. Accessed May 28, 2016. "The glamorous, dark-haired Ward, a native of West Orange, N.J., began her career as a Roxyette at New York's famed Roxy Theatre in the early 1940s, then headed for Broadway."
^Schmander, Sherie Fox. "Charlotte Fowler Wells" in Past and Promise: Lives of New Jersey Women, p. 207. Accessed June 28, 2018. "When it was incorporated in 1894, she became president of the new Fowler and Wells Company and from that period to her death she lived in West Orange, NJ."
^Jordan, Chris. "Hip-hop phenomenon 'mixtapes' go mainstream", The Tennessean, March 8, 2005. Accessed November 5, 2007. "Whoo Kid, who hails from West Orange, N.J., has certainly diversified. The Queens-raised kid of Haitian parents starting spinning at 16; now, he performs around the world with 50 Cent and on his own."
^Fizgerald's Legislative Manual, State of New Jersey, Volume 194, Part 2; Volume 195, Parts 1-2, p. 394. J. A. Fitzegerald, 1971. Accessed June 3, 2018. "Kenneth T. Wilson (Rep., West Orange) Assemblyman Wilson, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth H. Wilson, was born in Newark, on March 20, 1936, the eldest of two sons. He attended the West Orange public schools and graduated in 1954 from West Orange High School."
^Edel, Raymond A. "Mini-Bio for Kids: Ian Ziering", The Record, December 20, 1992. Accessed September 29, 2007. "Ian, a native of West Orange, is a graduate of William Paterson College in Wayne."
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