New Jersey Governor Harold G. Hoffman Links to Joe Adonis And Organized Crime

Harold Giles Hoffman was elected governor of New Jersey in 1935. A gregarious, popular politician he was a former assistant chemist and banker. His supporters touted him as a prospective Republican Presidential candidate for the upcoming 1936 election. Unbeknownst to his backers, however, Hoffman had used stolen bank funds to further his political career. He continued moving money he had taken illegally throughout his term as governor. Many of his embezzlement schemes weren't unraveled until years later, when a Democratic governor of New Jersey ordered an investigation of Hoffman's financial dealings as NJ governor and head of the state's division of employment and security.