John H. Dorsey, a former majority leader of the New Jersey State Senate and a powerful Republican legislator for eighteen years, passed away on Sunday. He was 80.

Dorsey served in the State Assembly from 1976 to 1978, and in the Senate from 1978 to 1994. He lost his seat in 1993 after blocking the reappointment of a Superior Court Judge in Morris County.

He launched his political career in 1971 at age 34 as a candidate for an Assembly seat, losing a Republican primary to incumbent Josephine Margetts (R-Harding) and Albert W. Merck (R-Mendham), the scion of the Merck pharmaceutical fortune. He finished third in a field of seven candidates, running 1,479 votes behind Merck.

When Margetts gave up her seat to run for the Senate in 1973, Dorsey ran again. He won the Republican primary by 544 votes against James J. Barry, Jr. (R-Harding). Dorsey and Merck were casualties of the Watergate landslide that year, losing to Democrats Gordon MacInnes (D-Morris Township) and Rosemarie Totaro (D-Denville). Dorsey ran 4,119 votes behind MacInnes, but just 903 votes behind Totaro. He out-polled Merck by 435 votes.

Dorsey ran for a third time in 1975. This time he finished first in the GOP primary, running 1,083 votes ahead of Barry. Barry took the second seat by 23 votes over Parsippany attorney Alfred Villoresi.

In the general election, Dorsey and Barry narrowly defeated Totaro and MacInnes.

Dorsey was the top vote-getter, running 11 votes in front of Barry and 591 votes ahead of Totaro. MacInnes finished fourth, 1,693 votes behind Dorsey.

After one term in the Assembly, Dorsey gave up his seat to challenge freshman State Sen. Stephen B. Wiley (D-Morris Township).