N.J. Admin. Code § Executive Order No. 312 (2022)
Governor Philip D. Murphy
Executive Order No. 312 (2022)
An Order That Flags Fly at Half-Staff in Honor of Former New Jersey First Lady Lucinda Florio
Issued: November 16, 2022.
Effective: November 16, 2022.
WHEREAS, First Lady Lucinda Florio was born Lucinda Coleman in Lafayette, Indiana in 1947, before moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and then to Gloucester City, New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, after leaving high school early for a first marriage and to raise her young son, Lucinda attended Gloucester County College and graduated from Glassboro State University with a degree in education in 1975, becoming a dedicated teacher who made a difference in the lives of generations of preschool, first grade, and third grade children; and
WHEREAS, Lucinda married Jim Florio in February 1988, when he was serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the two shared 34 years together before Governor Florio's passing on September 25, 2022; and
WHEREAS, Lucinda strongly supported her husband's campaign for Governor of New Jersey in 1989 and served as New Jersey's First Lady from 1990 to 1994; and
WHEREAS, Lucinda served as an active and visible First Lady who used her role to advocate for women and children, supporting causes from early childhood education and literacy to health and women's rights and serving as honorary chair of efforts to establish the Alice Paul Institute, a leadership training institute for young women in Burlington County; and
WHEREAS, Lucinda led continuing efforts to restore and refurbish the Governor's Mansion at Drumthwacket in Princeton, where she and Governor Florio were the first official occupants of the executive residence, raising funds and focusing in particular on restoration of the second floor private quarters and gardens; and
WHEREAS, after her time as First Lady, Lucinda remained devoted to supporting women and children in the State, co-chairing a building campaign for the YMCA in her hometown of Metuchen, serving as trustee of the Liberty Science Center, and working with the United Way of Middlesex County on childcare programming, among other charitable and volunteer endeavors; and
WHEREAS, Lucinda will be remembered as a gracious and dedicated First Lady of New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, Lucinda will also be remembered for her devotion to her family as a loving wife and mother to her son Mark, a respected history teacher at Lawrence High School, and to her stepchildren Christopher, Gregory, and Catherine; and
WHEREAS, Lucinda will be deeply missed by her family and the people of the State of New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, it is with immense sadness that we mourn Lucinda Florio's passing, and extend our deepest sympathy to her family and friends; and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to celebrate the outstanding achievements and cherished memory of Lucinda Florio and to mark her passing;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
N.J. Admin. Code Executive Order No. 312 (2022)