Galdieri was born in Jersey City, the son of
James J. Galdieri, who had served a single term as a member of the
New Jersey General Assembly in 1932 and 1933. He attended
Seton Hall University and after graduating there moved on to
New York University School of Law where was awarded a law degree. He was a general counsel at the Jersey City Housing Authority. In November 1980, Galdieri won a special election to fill the unexpired portion of the New Jersey Senate seat vacated by fellow Democrat
David Friedland, who had been convicted of bribery charges related to a loan made by a Teamsters pension fund. At the time of his taking office, the district covered
North Bergen and portions of Jersey City. The district was changed significantly in redistricting based on the results of the
1980 United States census, and Galdieri decided not to run for election in the district he had been relocated to. The case's similarities to the
deaths of former state
Transportation Commissioner John Sheridan and his wife—also stabbed in their
Skillman home with a fire set in an attempt to destroy evidence—have led to that case being reopened. ==References==