Richard Alan “Dick” Zimmer, a former three-term U.S. Congressman from New Jersey, died Dec. 31, 2025, at Hunterdon Care Center in Flemington. He was 81 years old. Both in and out of political office, Zimmer championed open government, lower taxes and environmental protections.
Then-Gov. Phil Murphy ordered U.S. and New Jersey flags to fly at half-staff from Friday, Jan. 16, until sunset Jan. 17, in recognition and memory of his service.
Zimmer is survived by his wife of 60 years, Marfy Goodspeed; his two sons Carl (Grace) Zimmer and Benjamin (Maria) Zimmer; and three grandchildren, Charlotte, Veronica and Blake. He is also survived by three sisters, Barbara Zimmer, Ilene Hyman and Susan Rubin, and a brother, Paul Rubin.
Born Aug. 16, 1944, in Newark, Dick was the second child of William Zimmer and Evelyn Rader Zimmer. His father died when he was 3, and nine years later, his mother married Howard Rubin. Zimmer graduated from Yale College in 1966 and Yale Law School in 1969.
Zimmer met his wife Marfy in New Haven while they both attended college. They married Dec. 27, 1965, and lived in Brooklyn, New York, and South Orange before moving to a farm near Sergeantsville in 1976.
After graduating from law school, he joined Cravath, Swain & Moore as an attorney, working there from 1969 to 1975. In 1976, he joined Johnson & Johnson as a general attorney and worked there till 1990.
From 1974 to 1977, Zimmer served as chairman of New Jersey Common Cause. Under his leadership the organization campaigned for government transparency. His efforts led to New Jersey’s Sunshine Law, which requires that state government meetings be made open to the public.
Zimmer was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1981. He was the prime Assembly sponsor of New Jersey’s first farmland preservation law. Zimmer also sponsored a law creating a statewide program for detecting and remediating radon. In 1987, Zimmer won a special election to serve in the New Jersey State Senate, where he served on the Revenue, Finance and Appropriations Committee.
In 1990, Zimmer was elected to Congress, representing New Jersey’s 12th district. Zimmer served on the House Ways and Means Committee and authored Megan’s Law, which requires parents to be notified when a convicted sex offender moves into their neighborhood. After serving three terms in Congress, Zimmer ran as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1996. He also won the Republican nomination for Senate in 2008.
“For decades, Congressman Dick Zimmer dedicated his career to fiscal responsibility, child safety, and government transparency,” Murphy said. “Throughout his time as a public servant, he successfully passed meaningful legislation aimed at helping New Jerseyans live safe lives. We will honor Congressman Zimmer’s legacy of leading with integrity, compassion, and determination.”
Upon returning to the private sector, Zimmer practiced law at Dechert Price & Rhoads and at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher. He also taught at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. In 2010, then-Gov. Chris Christie appointed Zimmer chair of the New Jersey Privatization Task Force.
Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, Flemington. To send an online condolence, please visit holcombefisher.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Hunterdon County Land Trust or Common Cause.
The article originally appeared in the January 22 – 28, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
