Alfred R. Pierce, son of Russell and Viola Pierce, grew up in Camden and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1939. After completing his studies at the College of South Jersey (now Rutgers-Camden), he enlisted in the United States Army Air Force, serving as a pilot in 51 missions during the African, Sicilian, and Italian campaigns.
Following his discharge in the fall of 1944 with the rank of captain, Pierce attended Dickinson Law School, where he was elected vice-president of his class and earned scholastic honors on the dean’s list. He graduated in February 1948 and completed his legal clerkship with the firm of Carroll, Taylor, and Bischoff. That same year, he was admitted to the New Jersey bar and began working as an associate for former Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Mitchell.
During this time, Pierce married his wife Barbara and initially lived at 603 North 34th Street in East Camden. By 1956, the New Jersey Bell Telephone Directory listed his address as 3215 Westfield Avenue, and by 1959, he resided at 420 Hillside Avenue. He appears to have left Camden after serving as mayor, although he continued to maintain a law office in the city for many years.
In January 1950, Mayor George Brunner appointed Alfred Pierce to a three-year term on the Camden Board of Education, replacing Dr. Ethan A. Lang, who had resigned. Dr. Lang had been serving simultaneously as City Comptroller and President of the School Board prior to his resignation. Pierce later took on the role of solicitor for the School Board of the City of Camden.
On August 4, 1959, Pierce became a founding member of the Legal Eagles Association, now known as the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association, a group of lawyers who were also pilots. He was also a member of Trimble Lodge No. 117, Free and Accepted Masons, an organization with roots in Camden dating back to the 19th century. Additionally, Pierce was active in the Camden YMCA.
In 1959, Pierce unseated long-time Mayor George Brunner and served as Mayor of Camden until 1969, when he was succeeded by Joseph Nardi. During his tenure, he ran for the State Senate in 1967 but was defeated by Republican candidate Frank Italiano.
One significant marker of Pierce’s administration is that property values in Camden declined every year after 1960. Alfred Pierce passed away on September 14, 2005, in Moorestown, NJ, and was buried at Harleigh Cemetery in Camden.
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