Anthony Imperiale

Anthony M. Imperiale Sr. (July 10, 1931 – December 27, 1999) was an American paramedic, activist, vigilante and militant leader, and populist politician from Newark, New Jersey who represented the city's North Ward on the Municipal Council of Newark from 1968 to 1974 and represented the city in the New Jersey Legislature between 1972 and 1982. He was a controversial and polarizing figure who became a symbol of white ethnic backlash to the civil rights movement and civil disorder of the 1960s. He unsuccessfully sought to become mayor of Newark in 1970 and 1974 and governor of New Jersey in 1977 and 1981.

During the 1967 Newark riots, Imperiale led armed citizen groups in the city's North Ward; he was accused of vigilantism by critics, including Governor Richard J. Hughes. In 1968, he was elected to the Municipal Council of Newark. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1970 and 1974, when he was the runner-up to incumbent Kenneth A. Gibson. While on the council, he opposed Gibson and was highly critical of the black nationalist movement in the city led by Amiri Baraka, successfully blocking Kawaida Towers, a controversial high-rise project sponsored by Baraka.

Running as an independent, Imperiale was elected to represent the 30th district in the New Jersey General Assembly in 1971 and New Jersey Senate in 1973. In 1977, he ran against incumbent governor Brendan Byrne but withdrew from the race. He was elected to a second term in the General Assembly in 1979 and joined the Republican Party. After running unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for governor in 1981, he never held office again, though he made several unsuccessful bids for federal, state, and local offices.