Tom Bracken's Statement on the Passing of Brendan Byrne

We were all saddened to hear of the passing of former Gov. Brendan Byrne and on behalf of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and its Board of Directors, I would like to offer condolences to his wife Ruthi, his son Tom, and the Byrne family.

Gov. Byrne was a lifelong supporter of the business community and the NJ Chamber and we will all fondly remember his annual attendance at our Walk to Washington, which he attended an astounding 51 times.

He was an exemplary public servant who put the welfare of New Jersey ahead of partisan politics.

It was his character and integrity that made him so many friends on both sides of the political aisle.

I was blessed to have had numerous opportunities to talk to and work with Gov. Byrne and I will miss his insight and his wonderful sense of humor.

The passing of Gov. Byrne is a great loss for New Jersey and for me personally, but we were all much richer for having known him.