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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Mayor to Study Pay Hikes
Camden Courier-Post – January 10, 1966 Mayor Alfred R. Pierce indicated today he would take no action on a request for $600,000 in salary increases from non-uniformed city employes until he receives and studies budget figures. He said he expected to have the budget figures in his hands later today. Representatives of Council 10, a…
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City Asked to Provide Increment
Camden Courier-Post – January 8, 1966 A $1,000 increment for all non-uniformed employes over a three-year period is part of a package proposal to be presented to Mayor Alfred R. Pierce Monday. Joseph Yacovelli, president of Council 10, the employes’ civil service organization [including the City’s Electrical Bureau—ed.]; and Charles DiBartolomeo, chairman of the negotiating…
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A Yule Glow All His Own
Camden Courier-Post – December 24, 1965 By Mary Archibald, Courier-Post Staff A Christmas tree with 1,000 lights has been among the local seasonal highlights for 50 years. But many who knock at Emmanuel Schaeffer’s door at 449 Benson Street are unaware that he cleans and re-dyes each bulb by hand. “I’ve been told I’m the…
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Broadway to Glitter with Yuletide Lights
Camden Courier-Post – November 27, 1963 Camden’s Broadway will burst into a red, green and yellow explosion of lights at 5 p.m. Friday as it prepares to welcome Santa Claus. The Chritmas [sic] lighting display, stretching over two miles and burning 61,000 watts of electricity, has been heralded by the Camden Business Improvement Association as…
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Meeting is Conducted Orderly by Mayor Despite Difficulties
Camden Courier-Post – June 10, 1960 Greeted by 500 Amid Applause and Cat-calls Mayor Pierce was determined to run an orderly meeting and he did Thursday night when his fellow commissioners stripped him of his duties as public safety director. When Pierce entered the commission chambers, bulging at the seams by an overflow crowd of…
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Pierce is Ousted as Safety Head
Camden Courier-Post – June 10, 1960 Amid cheers and boos from spectators, Mayor Pierce was switched from director of public safety to public affairs director at a commission meeting Thursday night. Pierce lost control of the police and fire departments by a 4-1 vote. The motion to divest the mayor of the public safety department…
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