Brendan Byrne moved deliberately over two terms to shape New Jersey in his view. He died Thursday and was governor from 1974-1982. In that time, Governor Byrne  protected the Pinelands and fostered the Meadowlands' development; he enacted the income tax, created NJ Transit and gambled successfully on Atlantic City's revival. Governor Bryne leaves an indelible legacy, documented by the Center on the American Governor, an initiative of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Browse the Center's archive documenting Governor Bryne's governorship and more.