Education
Bennett attended Dickinson College from 1966 to 1968, graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1970, and earned a Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1974.
Bennett attended Dickinson College from 1966 to 1968, graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1970, and earned a Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1974.
As President of the Senate he served as for three and a half days in January 2002 following the resignation of Governor Christine Todd Whitman. Bennett"s predecessor as Senate President, Donald DiFrancesco had previously served as acting Governor, and Bennett in turn succeeded to the office of acting governor when DiFrancesco"s term ended and he was elected as the new Senate President. During his service as acting governor, Bennett appeared on national television as part of the "five governors in a week" news cycle.
He signed legislation into law, appointed judges, granted a pardon, created a nursing advisory council, and hosted several parties at Drumthwacket.
Peg Bennett was active during her tenure as First Lady of New Jersey. In June 2002, Bennett was involved in a shoving match with South Jersey Democratic Party boss and Commerce National Insurance Chief Executive Officer George Norcross after Norcross threatened to publicize a pardon Bennett gave during his three day executive tenure if Bennett could not convince his fellow Republican senators to vote for a tax increase and stadium construction bill in committee.
Bennett fell out of favor as a result of allegations that he overbilled the municipality of Marlboro Township for legal services. In a statement to the press, Bennett blamed party bosses and a biased press for attempting to destroy him.
Bennett was a leading opponent of using state funds to construct a convention center/stadium in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey that would have been used by a minor league ice hockey team that Norcross had bought an interest in.
John Bennett failed in his 2003 bid for re-election to the State Senate, falling to Ellen Karcher, 52%-43%, with the Green Party of New Jersey candidate winning 5% of the vote. In the 2005 primary election he was elected Republican State Committeeman for Monmouth County. Bennett is also a professor at Montclair State University.
In June 2012 he was elected the chairman of the Monmouth County Republican Party Committee during its annual reorganization meeting.