Prospero DeBona

Prospero DeBona was appointed by Gov. Brendan T. Byrne in 1977 as one of the original members of the Casino Control Commission.

An attorney, DeBona lived in Rumson and had law offices in Red Bank and Jersey City.  He was a native of Hartford, Connecticut and received his undergraduate degree from Trinity College there in 1941.  He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1949 and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar that same year.  He was admitted to practice law in New Jersey in 1953.

DeBona served as an Army paratrooper during World War II and in the Korean War and held the rank of captain.

During his career, DeBona served on the State Board of Higher Education, was a member and served a year as chairman of the Hudson County Ethics Committee, and was counsel to the Holmdel Township Planning Board.  While appointed to a one-year term, he continued to serve as a holdover until 1980. 

After leaving the Commission, DeBona returned to the practice of law.  He served on the Monmouth County Board of Taxation and the Monmouth County Improvement Authority.

He died in November 1997.