Bill Pascrell Jr., a plainspoken public servant and fiercely proud Fordham graduate who represented New Jersey in Congress for more than 27 years, died on August 21 at a medical facility in Livingston, New Jersey. He had been hospitalized with a respiratory illness in recent weeks and was 87 years old.
Pascrell enjoyed a long life in public service that included a postcollege stint in the military, more than a decade as a high school history teacher, and six years as mayor of Paterson, New Jersey. He was nearing the end of his 14th term in the House of Representatives.
“As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved,” his family wrote in a statement announcing his death. “Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served.”
‘An Opportunity to Help My Community’
A grandson of Italian immigrants, Pascrell was born in Paterson on January 25, 1937. He graduated from St. John the Baptist High School, where he was elected student council president, and enrolled at Fordham in the mid-1950s. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1959 and a master’s in philosophy in 1961.
Pascrell talked openly about his Fordham education and how he aimed to put it to use in the service of others.
“My degree from Fordham gave me an opportunity to help my community and make it better, and that is the way I looked at it,” Pascrell said in a 2023 interview with The Fordham Ram.
For him, plain speaking wasn’t just a way to communicate—it was essential to getting things done. And it was tied to his Fordham education and Catholic faith.
“Those values include saying it like it is,” he told The Ram. “Don’t camouflage what you’re trying to get across. Say it; don’t be afraid. We say at Mass many times—in fact, we sing it, ‘Be Not Afraid.’ You go to Fordham, you’re not afraid. It seems that everyone at Fordham knows how to speak their mind.”
A Fordham Sports Superfan
Pascrell was also a passionate supporter of Fordham athletics, his son Glenn Pascrell, FCRH ’90, said in a eulogy during a funeral Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on August 28.
“He had a great sense of loyalty to institutions, and one of them was Fordham University,” he said. “I will always cherish going to Fordham games with my dad in the Bronx.”
A basketball and football season ticket holder for more than 30 years, Pascrell was a fixture in the stands at Rose Hill and frequently traveled to away games when his Capitol Hill schedule allowed. He didn’t play for the Rams, but he had been an all-state baseball player in high school and at one point tried out for the Philadelphia Phillies.
For many years, he served as a coach during the annual congressional baseball game. His uniform of choice at those events? The maroon and white of the Fordham Rams.
“Bill was an exceptionally devoted alumnus and the biggest Fordham basketball fan. Whenever we needed him, he was always there for us,” said Fordham President Tania Tetlow. “We will certainly miss Bill’s impact on Fordham and the communities he served. Our prayers are with [his wife] Elsie and the entire Pascrell family.”
A ‘Beloved Bridge Builder’ Who Fought ‘Relentlessly’ for His Constituents
After grad school at Fordham, Pascrell served in the Army and the Army Reserve for much of the 1960s. He received an honorable discharge in 1967 and spent 12 years as a public high school teacher and college professor in New Jersey before entering local politics in Paterson.
He was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1988 and was twice elected mayor of Paterson, where he served from 1990 to 1996, when he ran for Congress.
In Congress, Pascrell served on the influential House Ways and Means Committee and focused on issues such as tax reform, environmental protection, and funding for public safety and education.
His signature achievements include helping to establish programs like the Fire Grants and Safety Act that directly fund first responders across the country. He also played a key role in establishing the Paterson Great Falls as a national historical park.
Frequently described in the media as “brash,” “blunt,” and “feisty,” Pascrell was a passionate advocate for issues that affected everyday community members in New Jersey’s diverse 9th congressional district.
“Yeah, I live in Paterson,” Pascrell was known to respond when others questioned his lifelong residency in his hometown, the country’s first planned industrial city. “You want to make something of it?”
Pascrell was also regarded as an affable presence noted for his ability to connect with people from all walks of life. In a statement, President Joe Biden praised Pascrell as a “beloved bridge builder” and a “champion for working-class people” who “fought relentlessly to ensure their voices and needs were at the center of policymaking.”
In his eulogy for his father, Glenn Pascrell quoted an oft-repeated line that underscores the philosophy by which his father lived.
“My dad held many public titles. When he spoke in front of a group, he always opened with the following line: ‘Titles come and go. In the end they don’t matter,’” he said. ‘What matters is how we treat each other.’”
Pascrell is survived by his wife, Elsie Marie (Botto) Pascrell; his three sons, William J. Pascrell III, and twins Glenn and David, both 1990 graduates of Fordham College at Rose Hill; two sisters; and six grandchildren.
