WEST ORANGE, N.J. (AP) – The state senator who will become New Jersey’s acting governor is an old-fashioned politician with a penchant for one-liners – a 30-year veteran who has weathered political battles and personal struggles.

Senate President Richard J. Codey – set to take over from Democratic Gov. James E. McGreevey on Nov. 15 and to stay until January 2006 – promised Friday that New Jersey state would be “in very good hands.”

“I am honored to take on this responsibility, and I will put my complete effort to the task ahead,” Codey said a day after McGreevey’s startling admission that he had an affair with another man and would resign.

Colleagues say Codey’s legislative experience will be an asset. “He understands the important role we bring as an equal branch of government,” said Democratic Assemblyman Louis Greenwald of Camden.

It’s not the first time Codey has been asked to take the helm under unusual circumstances. In early 2002, in the wake of former Gov. Christie Whitman’s resignation to join President Bush’s Cabinet, Codey briefly served as acting governor before McGreevey took office.

First elected to the Assembly in 1973, Codey served five terms before being elected to the Senate in 1981. He was chosen by colleagues to serve as Senate president in January after serving as co-president for two years with former Republican Sen. John Bennett.

Because New Jersey has no lieutenant governor, the Senate president is first in line of succession to become governor, according to the state Constitution.

Codey, a 57-year-old Democrat, has weathered political battles against Democratic powerbrokers, including John Lynch of Middlesex County and George Norcross of Camden County, who tried to depose him after McGreevey’s 2001 election. The married father of two sons has also survived personal struggles, including his wife’s battle with breast cancer. Both Codey’s parents died earlier this year.

As Senate president, he is responsible for party fund-raising and leading the Senate agenda. Known as a consensus builder, he is passionate about issues such as stem cell research and mental health.

In 1987, Codey used the name of a dead criminal to apply for a job to learn firsthand about standards for employee hiring and training in state institutions. He was hired and then went to work at Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital, leading to laws that reformed the state’s mental health system.

Codey promised a smooth transition. “(McGreevey) will over the next three months put the pedal to the metal and work as he always does,” Codey said.

The Senate president also said it was premature to discuss whether he might seek to stay in the position longer.

“It’s something I’m really truthfully not thinking about,” Codey told reporters. “My life changed dramatically yesterday.”

AP-ES-08-13-04 2046EDT