Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry plans to run in the Republican Primary for the seat currently occupied by state Senator Sam Thompson (R-12).
A fighter who has told allies in Middlesex that he intends to run again, Thompson has served in the senate since 2012.
For his part, Henry was born in Hoboken, and moved to Old Bridge Township with his family in 1961. He still resides in the same home his parents originally purchased. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree from Trenton State College (The College of New Jersey) in 1981.
In 1996, Henry established his own business, Owen Henry Contracting, Inc. The Company specializes in industrial building construction and maintenance, servicing the utility industry throughout the State of New Jersey. The Corporation is affiliated with The Association of Union Contractors and is signatory to the National Maintenance Agreements Policy Committee. According to the town website, the mayor has volunteered his services to the “community in several official roles. Mayor Henry served as an elected member of the Old Bridge Township Board of Education. Mayor Henry was appointed to the Old Bridge Planning Board and was an active member on the Old Bridge Environmental Commission.”
If he holds to his plan to run for reelection, Thompson would not be facing his first intraparty challenge.
He stared down a GOP Primary rival in 2017 when he defeated the late Art Haney by 20 percentage points.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, the senator attended public schools in Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas. He reached the rank of Specialist Third Class while serving in the U.S. Army from 1955 through 1957. He received a B.S. in 1960 from the University of Arkansas in chemistry and mathematics and was awarded a Ph.D. in 1965 from Louisiana State University in physical chemistry.[1][2][3] He worked as a research chemist at duPont and J.P. Stevens and Company and was employed by the New Jersey Department of Health from 1972 to 1994 as a chemist and director of clinical laboratory improvement service. He served on the United States Armed Forces Epidemiological Board from 1983 to 1990. He was appointed by then Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman to serve on the Governor’s Education Task Force in 1994 as Co-Chair.
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