Fred DeVesa distinguished himself as a student-athlete and a public
servant. The 1968 Rutgers-Newark graduate compiled a 119-19 won-loss
record which was the best fencing record in the college’s history.
As team captain under R-N Athletic Hall of Fame Coach Alan DeCicco,
he led the team to three consecutive winning seasons. In 1965, he and
teammate George Kane claimed the North Atlantic Fencing Association
Foil Team Championship.
After Rutgers, Judge DeVesa attended Seton Hall University Law School
and was employed by the Newark Police Department where he received
several commendations as a police officer and a detective.
Upon graduating cum laude from law school, Judge DeVesa served the
state for many years as a career prosecutor and was recognized and
received awards from several organizations for his contributions to law
enforcement in New Jersey. The Newark Police Superior Officers Association
voted him "Man of the Year for 1991-92".
In 1993, he was appointed Acting State Attorney General. That year, he
received the Governor's Service Award for his service as the Chief Law
Enforcement Officer and Chief Legal Counsel for the State of New
Jersey. He also received a Distinguished Service Award from the College
of New Jersey and the N.J. Law Enforcement Award from the Anti-
Defamation League.
In 1994, he was named "Man of the Year" by the Barringer High School
Alumni Association. In 1996, he was appointed a Judge of the Superior
Court and was later selected by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
as the Presiding Judge of the Criminal Courts in Middlesex County.
