Former Mercer Co. Sheriff & Freeholder, Gil Lugossy, Dies At 90

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Gilbert W. Lugossy, a Hamilton native whose decades of public service shaped Mercer County government and law enforcement, died Sunday at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton. He was 90.

Lugossy, who served five terms as Mercer County Sheriff, two terms as county freeholder and nearly a decade on the New Jersey State Parole Board, died Sunday at the Serenity Hospice Inpatient Unit.

Mercer County Executive Dan Benson, called Lugossy a mentor and role model.

"His true passion was helping people, and over his long life he touched so many lives in Mercer County and beyond," Benson said in a media statement.

Born March 11, 1936, Lugossy graduated from Hamilton High School West, where he served as senior class president in 1954, before earning a bachelor's degree in political science from Brown University. He later completed training at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., and the National Sheriffs' Institute at the University of Southern California, according to his obituary.

His career in public service began with his election to the Hamilton Township Board of Education in 1962, where he served until 1968. He went on to serve on the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders from 1971 to 1976, before being elected sheriff in 1977 — a post he held until 1990. He subsequently served on the New Jersey State Parole Board from 1990 to 1997.

Beyond elected office, Lugossy served as fire commissioner of Hamilton Township's Fire District No. 3 from 1962 to 2016 and was a member of the Rusling Hose Volunteer Fire Company for more than 70 years.

He also served on the boards of Yardville National Bank, the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey and Capital Health System in Trenton.

Benson, who grew up in Hamilton's Broad Street Park neighborhood, recalled speaking with Lugossy during his childhood paper route and later seeking his counsel when he entered politics.

"He was always generous with his time," Benson said. "I know I'm just one of many leaders across Mercer County who was fortunate enough to count Gil both as a mentor and a role model."

Visitation will be held Monday, March 23 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Buklad-Merlino Memorial Home, 2141 South Broad St., Hamilton. A funeral service will follow Tuesday, March 24 at 10:30 a.m. at the same location, with entombment at Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton.

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