Horace J. Bryant

Horace J. Bryant, Jr. (June 29, 1909 – April 13, 1983) was an African American civil rights activist, banking commissioner, and politician from New Jersey. As Commissioner of Banking and Insurance under Governor Richard J. Hughes, he was the first African American to serve in a State Cabinet position in the New Jersey government.

Early life and career

Bryant was born and raised in the predominantly African American community of Lawnside, New Jersey. He was the son of Horace J. Bryant, Sr., a onetime carpenter who succeeded as a builder and real estate developer. His father also served as the New Jersey General Assembly's first African American calendar clerk, responsible for billing and scheduling.

He earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Temple University in 1929. In 1930, he joined state service as a junior bank examiner in the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance. He was unsuccessful in both races, having been frozen out by Atlantic County political boss Frank S. Farley.

Bryant worked his way up in the state Department of Banking and Insurance, becoming deputy commissioner in 1965. In 1969, he was appointed commissioner by Governor Richard J. Hughes, becoming the first African American to hold a cabinet-level position in New Jersey. He was the uncle of Wayne R. Bryant, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly and State Senate before his conviction on corruption charges, and Mark Bryant, who served as mayor of Lawnside, New Jersey. A bronze bust of Bryant, celebrating his achievements as a civil rights pioneer, sits in the Carnegie Library Center in Stockton University.