William F. Hyland

William F. 'Bill' Hyland (July 30, 1923 – March 2, 2013 ) was an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician who served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly and Attorney General of New Jersey. Later in life he was a partner in the law firm of Riker Danzig and the executor of the estate of Benny Goodman.

Biography

Hyland was born in Burlington, New Jersey in 1923. He graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1944. From a young age he was an accomplished clarinetist, and he worked his way through college by playing with dance bands.

During World War II, he served as a Lieutenant (junior grade) in the United States Navy. He took part in convoy duty in the Battle of the Atlantic, as well as in the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Luzon.

Hyland graduated from University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1949 and was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in the same year. He became involved in Democratic politics in Camden County, and was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1954. He served as Speaker of the Assembly in 1958.

Hyland continued performing as a clarinetist even while serving as Attorney General. In 1976, he had the opportunity to play with Benny Goodman, and the two struck up a friendship. Goodman named him the legal and musical consultant for his estate, responsible for deciding which previously unreleased recordings were appropriate for release. Upon Goodman's death in 1986, Hyland served as executor of his estate.

He died on March 3, 2013.