Peter Shapiro Dies; Essex County Legislative ‘Wunderkind’ Mourned

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Peter Shapiro, an Essex County native who once made history as the youngest New Jerseyan ever elected to the General Assembly and served as the first-ever Essex County executive, died last week at the age of 71.

Shapiro, a South Orange resident who was born in Newark, passed away on March 29. Several of his mourners have since posted messages of condolence on his obituary page.

Those mourning Shapiro included Gov. Phil Murphy, who shared the following message on Monday:

“Tammy and I are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Peter Shapiro. Peter was an esteemed public servant who, at just 23-years-old, made history by becoming the youngest New Jerseyan ever elected to the General Assembly. Over the course of his storied career, and especially as the first-ever county executive of his beloved Essex County, Peter dedicated every ounce of himself to ensuring our state’s political institutions served the needs of our families. His legacy of courage and compassion will inspire the people of New Jersey for generations to come. Our hearts and prayers are with Peter’s wife, Bryna, and their son, Samuel. We will deeply miss the Wunderkind of Essex County.”

The county’s current executive, Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., also recalled Shapiro with fondness.

“Peter helped steer Essex County down a better path after the change in government and was a role model and close personal friend of mine,” DiVincenzo said. “I worked for him when he served as executive and leaned on him for advice and guidance when I was first elected to the position.”

“Peter was gentleman who always had the best interests of Essex County, even after he left office,” DiVincenzo added. “My heart and prayers go out to his family.”

While at the helm of Essex County, Shapiro reformed the county’s welfare program, decentralized other services to make them more responsive to localities, refinanced the pension system and lowered the county property tax rate, The New York Times reported.

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