Jim Gannon

James M. Gannon (born 1960 or 1961) is an American law enforcement officer and Republican Party politician currently serving as the 77th Sheriff of Morris County, New Jersey. He was the running mate of Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli in the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election, losing to Democrats Mikie Sherrill and Dale Caldwell.

Early life and education James M. Gannon was raised in Boonton, New Jersey in a Catholic family of Irish and Polish ancestry. His father was a decorated detective in the New York City Police Department.

He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel Elementary School and Boonton High School. While in high school, he played sports and joined the Boonton Township Fire Service. After graduating, he earned an associate degree in law enforcement from the County College of Morris and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice administration from William Paterson University.

Law enforcement and private sector career After graduating college, Gannon became a patrolman in Boonton and neighboring Boonton Township before serving for over two decades at the Office of the Morris County Prosecutor, where he attained the rank of Deputy Chief of Investigations and established the county cold case unit. He led investigations into the 1987 abduction and murder of Lisa O'Boyle, the 2001 fatal shooting of FuncoLand store employees Erik Rewoldt and Jeff Eresman, and 2001 sexual assault and murder of 10-year-old Morristown resident Walter Contreras Valenzuela. As a detective, Gannon insisted on referring to all homicide cases by the victim's name, rather than the location or perpetrator's name. Following the conviction of day laborer Porfirio Jimenez for Valenzuela's murder in 2008, Gannon retired from law enforcement.

During his first one hundred days in office, Gannon partnered with non-profits to develop the Hope One program, a mobile substance abuse and mental health disorder outreach resource providing free naloxone training and kits, as well as direct access to addiction recovery and mental health programs.

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