Weiss settled in
Jersey City, New Jersey and then
Carteret after his family emigrated from Hungary to the United States when he was three years old, joining grandparents who had moved there earlier. He attended the Carteret public schools, graduating from
Carteret High School, and spent a year at
Middlesex County College. He briefly operated a gas station in
Newark, before enlisting in the
United States Army during
World War II, attending
Officer Candidate School at
Fort Benning, Georgia where he earned a commission as a second lieutenant. In 1943, Weiss was part of the
94th Infantry Division and was assigned to the
Pacific Theater of Operations, serving in
New Caledonia and
New Guinea. There he was named as a platoon leader for the
24th Infantry Division, and was ultimately promoted to captain and
company commander. He saw action in the
New Guinea campaign, in the Philippine Islands and in the earliest landings in Japan following
V-J Day. He was recalled to active duty during the
Korean War, serving until 1952 as a major with the Army's Inspector General. During his service he was awarded the
Silver Star,
Bronze Star Medal and the
Purple Heart, in addition to other citations. After completing his military service he returned to the American Petroleum Corporation of
Perth Amboy, becoming the company's president in 1960. Weiss served on the Middlesex County Planning Board and was active with the Woodbridge Township Public Library and was involved there in major construction projects. In the 1977 Democratic primaries, Weiss defeated incumbent Democrat
John J. Fay Jr., and went on to win election. During his 14 years in office Weiss served on the Agriculture Committee, State Government Committee, Education Committee, Oversight Committee and the Joint Legislative Commission, as well as 11 years as chair of the State Finance, Revenue and Appropriation Committee and six years leading the Joint Appropriations Committee. Weiss was one of the initial authors and key supporters of
Governor of New Jersey Jim Florio's $2.8 billion tax increase package in 1991, and then pushed on behalf of its repeal after he was defeated in his re-election bid. Republicans statewide and
Randy Corman in the 19th District used the tax increase as a major campaign issue, with Weiss noting his role as chairman of the committee that drafted and approved the budget and saying "I'm not the target, I'm the bull's eye". Weiss died at age 84 on December 27, 2003, at Hollywood Medical Center in
Hollywood, Florida. He was survived by his wife, the former Edith Gelber, whom he married in 1941, as well as by a daughter, a son and four grandchildren. ==References==