Carl Golden, longtime NJ Republican spokesman and advisor, is dead at 86

Carl Golden, a former journalist and longtime New Jersey Republican spokesman and advisor, died Monday. He was 86 years old.

Golden served as press secretary for the late Rep. Peter Frelinghuysen, former Gov. Tom Kean, former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman and former Chief Justice Robert Wilentz.

Golden served as spokesperson for Kean while he was speaker of the New Jersey Assembly speaker before joining both of his gubernatorial campaigns and working as press secretary for both of Kean's terms.

He joined forces with Whitman in 1991 and was her first communications director.

Golden later served as a contributing analyst at the Willam J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton University where he continued to assess the state of politics on a state and national level. He also contributed op-eds to various news organizations, including those in the USA TODAY Network New Jersey.

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Golden was born in 1937 in Easton, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Easton High School in 1955. He married twice and raised five children.

Golden died during a medical procedure, his wife of 32 years, according to Linda Monica Golden.

“He was absolutely the best. I don’t think anybody ever had a better press secretary,” said Kean.

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Carl Golden NJ Republican advisor is dead at 86