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TRENTON, N.J. — <\/span>Richard \u201cDick\u201d Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state’s history, died Sunday. He was 79. <\/p>\n Codey\u2019s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband\u2019s death to The Associated Press.<\/p>\n \u201cGov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,\u201d Codey’s family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey’s official page. <\/p>\n “Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather — and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him,” the family said.<\/p>\n Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research. <\/p>\n Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.<\/p>\n Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman\u2019s resignation to join President George W. Bush\u2019s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.<\/p>\n At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor\u2019s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.<\/p>\n Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.<\/p>\n Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.<\/p>\n After leaving the governor\u2019s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.<\/p>\n \u201cHe lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,\u201d his family wrote. \u201cHe made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.\u201d<\/p>\n Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.<\/p>\n Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could \u201ctake him outside.\u201d But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to \u201ctake him out,\u201d which Codey denied.<\/p>\n His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was a really, really good guy,\u201d Mary Jo Codey said. \u201cHe said, \u2018If you want to do it, I don\u2019t care if I get elected again.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n