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Nick Acocella
Acocella in 2011
Born
Nicholas Acocella

(1943-02-07)February 7, 1943
Jersey City, New Jersey, US
DiedJune 20, 2020(2020-06-20) (aged 77)
Hoboken, New Jersey, US
OccupationJournalist

Nicholas Acocella (February 7, 1943 – June 20, 2020) was an American political journalist and author. He was the editor and publisher of Politifax, a weekly newsletter about New Jersey politics. From 2015 he was the host of the NJTV show Pasta & Politics.

Personal life

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Acocella was born on February 7, 1943, at Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital in Jersey City, New Jersey, and grew up in West New York, New Jersey.[1][2] He graduated from St. Peter's Preparatory School, went to La Salle University in Philadelphia, and spent a year studying in Vienna. He then studied English literature at the University of California, Berkeley before taking a teaching job at Indian Hills High School in Oakland, New Jersey. He also went back to graduate school, attending Stony Brook University and the University of Delaware.[1]

He was married to Laura Eliasoph Acocella, with whom he has a daughter, Francesca Rebecca Acocella, and previously married to New Yorker writer Joan Acocella (née Ross), with whom he shares a son, Bart Acocella.[1] He died of cancer at his home in Hoboken, New Jersey, on June 20, 2020.[3]

Career

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In 1997, Acocella started Politifax, a weekly newsletter about New Jersey politics,[4] and was its editor, publisher, and sole writer.[5] Initially a fax service before transitioning to email, an annual subscription cost $400 for 46 issues. The newsletter's design comprised a white background with letters in a simple black font.[1] He initially covered statewide politics but later covered local politics as well.[6] The large number of governmental authorities in the state, with 566 municipalities in 21 counties, led to a need for coverage outside of the state's daily newspapers covering the "little battlefields" at the county and municipal level.[7] Acocella also wrote twenty books about baseball, of which he was a lifelong fan,[1] with one book, The Ball Clubs, comprising a history of every major league team.[6]

In 2015, Acocella started hosting a television show, Pasta & Politics,[8] on NJTV,[9] where he would interview various New Jersey politicians while making pasta dishes;[10] the show ran for five seasons.[11] Guests included Thomas Kean, Cory Booker, Chris Christie, and Stephen Sweeney.[1]

Published works

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  • Dewey, Donald; Acocella, Nicholas (May 2016). The Black Prince of Baseball: Hal Chase and the Mythology of the Game. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0803299399.[12]
  • Dewey, Donald; Acocella, Nicholas (2005). Total ballclubs: the ultimate book of baseball teams. Toronto: Sport Classic. ISBN 978-1894963374.
  • Acocella, Nicholas; Dewey, Donald (1996). The Book of Baseball Lineups. Secaucus, NJ: Carol Pub. Group. ISBN 978-0806517537.
  • Acocella, Nicholas; Dewey, Donald (1994). The Greatest Team of All Time: As Selected by Baseball's Immortals from Ty Cobb to Willie Mays. Holbrook, MA: B. Adams. ISBN 978-1558504219.
  • Dewey, Donald; Acocella, Nick (1992). The all-time all-star baseball book. Dubuque, IA: Brown & Benchmark. ISBN 978-0-697-14594-9.
  • Dewey, Donald; Acocella, Nicholas; Acocella, Bart (1985). The All-Time All-Star Baseball Book. New York: Avon Books. ISBN 9780380895304.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Brent (June 21, 2020). "Longtime Politifax editor and N.J. politics expert Nick Acocella dies at 77". NJ.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "Nicholas Acocella – June 20, 2020". Lawton-Turso Funeral Home. 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "Political And Baseball Writer Nick Acocella Of Hoboken Passes". Hoboken, NJ Patch. June 21, 2020. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  4. ^ Stile, Charles (June 28, 2020). "The political wisdom of Nick Acocella". Courier-Post. Camden, New Jersey. p. 12A. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Peterson, Iver (March 23, 2003). "ON POLITICS; Politics in His Blood? Must Be From Jersey City". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Arnold, Laurence (March 7, 2000). "Hardball politics: Hoboken baseball writer publishes political newsletter". The Jersey Journal. Associated Press. pp. B1, B4. Retrieved March 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Peterson, Iver (March 23, 2003). "ON POLITICS; Politics in His Blood? Must Be From Jersey City". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  8. ^ Haddon, Heather (April 7, 2015). "Pasta and Politics: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Debuts on New TV Show". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  9. ^ "Breaking Bread and Talking Shop on Pasta and Politics". New Jersey Monthly. February 21, 2018. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  10. ^ "NJ PBS to air special memorializing Nick Acocella Wednesday". New Jersey Globe. June 15, 2021. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  11. ^ "NJ PBS to air special memorializing Nick Acocella Wednesday". New Jersey Globe. June 15, 2021. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  12. ^ Edwards, R. A. R. (March 17, 2017). "Saying It Was So: Exploring the Black Sox Scandal". Reviews in American History. 45 (1): 117–119. doi:10.1353/rah.2017.0016. S2CID 152179530 – via Project MUSE.
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