New Jersey chronology
1850 The census records approximately 300 Latinos in New Jersey.
1900 The census records approximately 1,200 Latinos in New Jersey.
1940 The census records approximately 3,000 Latinos in New Jersey.
1944 Seven hundred Puerto Ricans are contracted to work in New Jersey on farms and for the Campbell Soup Company.
1960s Many Cubans settle in New Jersey in this decade.
1970 There are 59,282 Cubans and 136,000 Puerto Ricans in New Jersey in this year.
1975 The state of New Jersey establishes the Center for Hispanic Policy, Research, and Development in the Department of Community Affairs.
1986 Robert Menendez, a Cuban American, is elected to the New Jersey Assembly.
1980s An increasing number of Dominicans and Colombians come to New Jersey.
1990 There are 40,000 Colombians and 36,000 Dominicans in New Jersey, and a total of 327,000 Latinos are employed in the state.
1992 Robert Menendez is elected to Congress. The Center for Latino Arts and Culture is established at Rutgers University.
1995 Wilfredo Caraballo, a Puerto Rican, is elected public advocate and public defender for the state of New Jersey, and Nilsa Cruz-Perez, also a Puerto Rican, is appointed to the New Jersey Assembly.
2000 In 2000 there are 103,000 Mexicans in New Jersey.
2002 Albio Sires, a Cuban American, is elected speaker of the New Jersey Assembly.
2004 Joseph Vas, a Puerto Rican, is elected to the New Jersey Assembly, and Roberta Rive-Soto, also a Puerto Rican, is appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court.
2005 There are 1,307,000 Latinos in New Jersey.
2006 Robert Menendez is elected to the United States Senate from New
Jersey; Albio Sires is elected to Congress; and Silvera Vega, a Cuban American, is elected to the New Jersey Assembly.
