Biography
Jeff Burkitt was arrested on April 16, 1938.
James F. “Jeff” Burkitt was a magazine salesman and outspoken opponent of infamously corrupt Jersey City mayor Frank Hague. He was arrested after attempting to give a speech in Journal Square on April 16, 1938 and convicted of disorderly conduct on April 23. Burkitt was sentenced to six months of hard labor at Hudson County Penitentiary in Secaucus despite poor health. The New Jersey Supreme Court refused to review his case on appeal. After his release he continued to challenge Hague’s restrictions on public speaking.
