About DeForest Soaries
The Reverend DeForest Blake "Buster" Soaries, Jr. (born August 20, 1951) is a Baptist minister, author and public advocate, from Montclair, New Jersey. A member of the Republican Party, He is the former Secretary of State of New Jersey and former chairman of the federal Election Assistance Commission. An African-American, he was the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey, a position he had held since November 1990 until his retirement from the church in June 2021. == Personal life == A resident of the Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick, New Jersey, he is married to Margaret Donna Soaries (Pleasant). The couple have twin sons, Malcolm and Martin. Soaries received a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University; a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary; and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary. He has also received five honorary doctorate degrees from other institutions. == First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens == Soaries had served as the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Garden (FBCLG) in Somerset, New Jersey, from November 1990 until his retirement in June 2021. == Politics == From January 1999 to January 2002, Soaries served as Secretary of State of New Jersey, making him the first African-American male to do so.
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