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Harold Giles Hoffman (born February 7, 1896 in South Amboy, New Jersey - died June 4, 1954 in New York City, New York) was the Republican Governor of New Jersey from 1935 to 1938.
Harold Hoffman attended public schools and graduated from South Amboy High School in 1913. He worked with a local newspaper until enlisting on July 25, 1917 as a private in the Third Regiment of the New Jersey Infantry, where he was subsequently promoted to the rank of captain.
After World War I, Hoffman returned to South Amboy and became an executive with the South Amboy Trust Company (a position he would hold until 1942).
Political Career
Due to World War II, Hoffman was granted military leave as director of the Unemployment Commission on June 15, 1942. He reentered the army as a major in the Transportation Corps and served until June 24, 1946 when he was discharge with the rank of colonel. Upon discharge, Hoffman resumed his position as direct of the Unemployment Commission.
Taken from bioguide.congress.gov
As governor, Hoffman secretly visited convicted Lindbergh kidnapper Bruno Hauptmann in his death row cell on the evening of October 16, 1935 with Anna Bading, a stenographer and fluent speaker of German. Hoffman urged the other members of the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals (eliminated by the 1947 state constitution) to visit Hauptmann.
Despite Governor Hoffman's doubt regarding Hauptmann's guilt, Hoffman was unable to convince the other members of the Court of Errors to re-examine the case, and Hauptmann was executed on April 3, 1936.
On March 18, 1954 Governor Meyner uncovered Hoffman's massive corruption scam, and suspended Hoffman as Employment Security Division Director. Before dying in June of that year, Hoffman made a written confession of embezzling over $300,000.
Hoffman is buried in Christ Church Cemetery in South Amboy, New Jersey
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Preceded by:
A. Harry MooreGovernors of New Jersey
Succeeded by:
A. Harry Moore
