A Mass of Christian Burial was offered April 15 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel R.C. Church, Swartswood, for James F. Moore, 83, who was elected Secaucus mayor in the late 1950s. He died Saturday, April 11 at his home in Hampton Township. The cause of death is unknown, although Moore had reportedly been ill recently. Born in Jersey City, he was raised in Secaucus.
He spent his working years in the trucking business in various capacities for several trucking companies, retiring in the mid-1990s as National Sales Manager of APA Trucking in North Bergen. A World War II U.S. Navy veteran, Moore served aboard the USS Donaldson.
Moore was first elected to the Secaucus Town Council in 1955 as 1st Ward Councilman and became one of two candidates, along with Councilman Nelson Elwell, to break Mayor John Kane’s long hold on local politics. After serving one term on the council Moore ran for mayor and won in 1958. He served three terms as mayor, until 1964. Among his accomplishments as mayor, Moore convinced E. I. DuPont to donate the land that is now Kane Stadium, he had Buchmuller Park built with donations, he had the old library built, and built Schmidts Woods.
An avid outdoorsman, he had a passion for hunting and fishing, as evidenced by his elaborate stories and tales of local history. He was a past member of the Elks, Kiwanis, VFW, Lions Club and various other community organizations.
He was the son of the late James F. and Mabel Hines Moore. He was also predeceased by his wife, Anne P. Couch Moore; two sons, Donald J. Moore and Timothy P. Moore; and two brothers, Gerald and Donald (Dinty) Moore. He is survived by one son, James F. Moore, Jr., and his wife, Leslie, of Stillwater Township; one daughter, Kathleen Moore Bradley and her husband, Ken, of Hampton Township; one sister, Mabel Dubiel and her husband, Thomas, of Secaucus; twelve grandchildren, Cable, Blake, Sean, Malora, Erin, Daniel, Kaitlyn, and Kelsey Moore, Kristen Giambona, Casey, Colin and Kellen Bradley; four great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews, and an abundance of loving friends. He is also survived by his companion of 15 years, Mary Alice Bowe, of Randolph. Services arranged by the Smith-McCracken Funeral Home, Newton.