Mary Jo Codey
Encyclopedia
Mary Jo Codey is an American
schoolteacher
and former First Lady of New Jersey
. She and her husband, Governor
Richard Codey
, served their state from November 16, 2004 to January 17, 2006.
Born in Glen Ridge
, New Jersey
, she grew up in West Orange
. She attended Caldwell College
, where she received a Bachelor of Arts
degree
in elementary education. She then earned a Master of Arts
degree in elementary education, with certification as a Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant (LDTC), from Seton Hall University
.
Mrs. Codey became First Lady upon her husband's succession to the governors office, after former Governor Jim McGreevey
resigned. She continued teaching school part time during her service. As First Lady, she was known for her work in mental health
, postpartum depression
and breast cancer
.
She suffered from postpartum depression following the birth of her oldest son. She said she did not get over it until a year after her son's birth. She controlled the illness with medication, which she stopped using during her second pregnancy. To combat the depression during her pregnancy she underwent electroshock therapy. She received electroshock again while suffering from breast cancer.
Mrs. Codey and her family live in West Orange, New Jersey, where she currently teaches at a private elementary school. She has said that while she enjoyed the opportunity to be First Lady and to advocate for causes she believed in, she was looking forward to her husband leaving office in order to return to being a private citizen.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
schoolteacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and former First Lady of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
. She and her husband, Governor
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
Richard Codey
Richard Codey
Richard James Codey is an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 53rd Governor of New Jersey from November 2004 to January 2006. He has served in the New Jersey Senate since 1981 and served as the President of the Senate from 2002 to January 2010. He represents the 27th Legislative...
, served their state from November 16, 2004 to January 17, 2006.
Born in Glen Ridge
Glen Ridge, New Jersey
Glen Ridge is a borough in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,527. In 2010, Glen Ridge was ranked as the 38th Best Place to live by New Jersey Monthly magazine....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, she grew up in West Orange
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a township in central Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 46,207...
. She attended Caldwell College
Caldwell College
Caldwell College is a Catholic liberal arts college in Caldwell, New Jersey, United States.Founded in 1939 by the Sisters of St. Dominic, the college is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, chartered by the State of New Jersey and registered with the Regents of the...
, where she received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in elementary education. She then earned a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in elementary education, with certification as a Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant (LDTC), from Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
.
Mrs. Codey became First Lady upon her husband's succession to the governors office, after former Governor Jim McGreevey
Jim McGreevey
James Edward "Jim" McGreevey is an American Democratic politician. He served as the 52nd Governor of New Jersey from January 15, 2002, until he resigned from office at 11:59 pm on November 15, 2004. His term was set to expire on January 17, 2006...
resigned. She continued teaching school part time during her service. As First Lady, she was known for her work in mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
, postpartum depression
Postpartum depression
Postpartum depression , also called postnatal depression, is a form of clinical depression which can affect women, and less frequently men, typically after childbirth. Studies report prevalence rates among women from 5% to 25%, but methodological differences among the studies make the actual...
and breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
.
She suffered from postpartum depression following the birth of her oldest son. She said she did not get over it until a year after her son's birth. She controlled the illness with medication, which she stopped using during her second pregnancy. To combat the depression during her pregnancy she underwent electroshock therapy. She received electroshock again while suffering from breast cancer.
Mrs. Codey and her family live in West Orange, New Jersey, where she currently teaches at a private elementary school. She has said that while she enjoyed the opportunity to be First Lady and to advocate for causes she believed in, she was looking forward to her husband leaving office in order to return to being a private citizen.