Congressmen Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-9) issued the following statement mourning the death of former Congressman Herb Klein.

“Herb Klein was one of a kind. A dedicated public servant, a brilliant lawyer, and my close friend. I will miss his wisdom and I will miss his counsel,” said Congressman Pascrell. “Herb was a pillar in our community who helped lay the groundwork for the Passaic County Democratic Party to grow and thrive. His experience as congressman was invaluable to me when I ran for his House seat and set up my federal office. And I appreciate his philanthropic dedication to northern New Jersey never ever waned. I always enjoyed when we visited seniors at Daughters of Miriam in Clifton together. This is a very tough day for Passaic.”

Congressman Klein was 93.

In the photograph above provided by Pascrell’s office, the late congressman stands in the foreground with Bill Pascrell.

A native of Neark, Mr. Klein served for one term in the House of Representatives: 1993- 1995.

Graduated from Rutgers, with a JD from Harvard, Mr. Klein served in the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1956.

He practiced law in Passaic and served as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1972-1976.

From Wikipedia:

Mr. Klein authored the law that created the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. In the Assembly, he was co-counsel on a bond issue for New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, and worked for the introduction of state income tax. He also served as Executive Director of the Passaic County Democratic Committee from 1977 to 1981. He was elected as a Democrat to the 103rd United States Congress in 1992 to succeed retiring eleven-term incumbent Robert Roe in the historically Democratic eighth district.

Republican Bill Martini beat Mr. Klein, a Democrat, in 1994.

Then Martini lost upon his attempt to secure reelection to Pascrell.