New Jersey Politician and Jurist Martin L. Greenberg, who was a New Jersey State Senator from 1974 to 1979, and a Superior Court judge from 1992 to 2002, died on Friday March 22nd in Palm City, Florida. He was 92.
Judge Greenberg, a former resident of South Orange, Essex County, N.J., had been living in Palm City, Florida since 2012.
Born on February 24, 1932, in Brooklyn, NY, he attended Weequahic High School in Newark N.J. He is a 1954 graduate of Rutgers University and received his law degree from Rutgers Law School in 1956.
Judge Greenberg was an Assistant Legal Counsel to Governor Robert B. Meyner and an Assistant Essex County Prosecutor. Judge Greenberg went into private law practice – first with the law firm Simandle Leff & Greenberg, and then as a law partner of Governor Brendan Byrne at Teltser Byrne & Greenberg.
The son of labor union leader Max Greenberg, Judge Greenberg practiced labor law and became General Counsel to the RWDSU International Union Pension Fund. At the same time, he became founding partner of Greenberg Margolis Ziegler & Schwartz. In 1973 he won the NJ Senate seat for the 28th District. During his six years as a Senator, Greenberg served as Chair of the Municipal and County Government and Senate Judiciary Committees. As the main Senate advocate for Governor Brendan Byrne’s platform, Judge Greenberg sponsored legislation on Pinelands preservation, affordable housing, the Casino Control Act and a total revamp of the state criminal code.
Judge Greenberg resigned from the Senate in 1979 and later became General Counsel to the Golden Nugget casino to assist in its efforts to obtain a gambling license in Atlantic City and was its President until he was able to obtain a license for the Golden Nugget CEO, Steve Wynn. After leaving the casino industry, he was appointed by Governor Jim Florio to serve as the General Counsel to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority while still at his law firm. Florio appointed him to serve as a New Jersey Superior Court Judge in 1992 in Essex County and later he became the Presiding Chancery Judge in the General Equity and Probate divisions in Hudson County. He reached mandatory retirement in 2002 and went on to continue to practice law and become a mediator and arbitrator for many years.
Judge Greenberg had a lifelong passion for golf, all things Sinatra, Broadway theater, and travel. He was known for his incisive wit, dry humor and storytelling prowess. He is survived by his beloved wife of 35 years, Ginger Provost; his first wife, Sondra (Parent) Kornfeld; a sister, Marsha Rein (Irwin Rein), of Wyckoff, N.J.; his daughter, Jennifer (Dave Wolpov), of South Orange, N.J.; three sons, Clifford of San Jose, CA; Mitchell (Jayne) of Mill Valley, CA; and Andrew (Miriam Moussaioff ) of Berkeley, CA; and nine grandchildren (and 3 bonus grandchildren).
A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 4:00PM at Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Funeral Chapel, 68 Old Short Hills Rd, Livingston, NJ 07039.
Greenberg with daughter Jennifer
