Kevin Hoagland
Middlesex County Surrogate
New Jersey Hall of Fame, Class of 2017: Unsung Hero

A uniquely committed public servant, Kevin Hoagland held the post of Middlesex County Surrogate for 28 years.

A graduate of Middlesex County Community College and Rider University, Hoagland spent four years as the director of Home Care Services for the Middlesex County Department of Human Services and was a patient accounts representative at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. He was first elected as Middlesex County’s surrogate in 1992.

During his tenure as surrogate—the longest in his county’s history—Hoagland sought to better accommodate the public by opening 11 satellite offices and extending office hours. He also supervised the digitization of all probate records in Middlesex County dating back to 1790.

In 2007, Hoagland established Middlesex County’s National Adoption Day. Held each November, the event promotes and celebrates adoptions throughout Middlesex County.

Among his other notable achievements, Hoagland is the founder and president of the Central Jersey Spinal Cord Association. He has served as chairman of the Mayor’s Committee for a Barrier Free New Brunswick, and on the New Brunswick Human Relations Commission.

In 2001, the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce named Hoagland a Community Leader of Distinction. In 2014, he received the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service.

In honoring Hoagland at the 2017 New Jersey Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Governor Phil Murphy declared, “Kevin has set himself apart [with] his hands-on approach to public service.”

Indeed, by the time he retired in December 2020, Hoagland had served more than 33,000 people throughout the county.