Carey joined Seton Hall School of Law in 1954 to assist then Dean Miriam T. Rooney with gaining accreditation by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), which was gained in 1955 and 1960 respectively. A dedicated and talented teacher, he taught Civil Procedure, Torts, and Constitutional Law among other courses. He was one of Seton Hall School of Law’s most popular teachers and remained an active faculty member until his retirement to professor emeritus in 1991. In 2002, he was presented with Seton Hall School of Law’s Miriam T. Rooney Award for Distinguished Service.

"Professor Carey was one of the law school’s early architects. The great school we have today was built on the foundation he and his colleagues laid,” said Seton Hall School of Law Dean Patrick E. Hobbs. “He also was a talented academic and a great teacher, who gave his all to teaching and the professional development of his students.”

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Carey lived in West Orange before moving to Park Ridge. He also maintained a home in High Falls, N.Y.

Carey attended Brooklyn Preparatory and St. John’s College, where he graduated summa cum laude. He earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1949, and his LL.M. from New York University in 1959. From 1961 to 1962, he was a Sterling Fellow at Yale Law School.

Before pursuing a career in law, Professor Carey was employed as a dockworker on the Brooklyn waterfront from 1943 to 1944. From 1944 to 1955, he was a commissioned naval officer and served in the Pacific during World War II. Prior to joining Seton Hall Law, he maintained a successful private practice and taught at St. John’s Law School.

He was active in New York politics, holding the position of chair of Planning Board 6 in Brooklyn and serving as legal counsel to the Finance Committee of the City of New York and for the New York State Constitutional Convention in 1967. He also was a candidate for the New York State Senate in 1955 and 1965. He also remained active in the VFW, the Ancient Order of Hibernians of Ulster County and many other organizations that remained important to him throughout his lifetime.

He is survived by four sons, Gerard Jr. and his wife, Sheila, of Greenville, N.Y.; Daniel and his wife, Moira, of Convent Station; Christopher of Washington Township; and Michael and his wife, Iryna, of Glen Ridge; and nine grandchildren.
A loyal and devoted member of the Seton Hall School of Law community, Carey was proud to note that each of sons and two of his daughters-in-law, Iryna Lamoga Carey and the late Laura Chip Carey, attended and graduated from Seton Hall School of Law.

Visitation services for Gerard M. Carey will be at Seton Hall School of Law on Thursday, January 19, from 7-9 p.m., and Friday, January 20, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. A Mass for Professor Carey will be held Saturday, January 21, at 9 a.m. at St. Patrick's Pro-Cathedral, 91 Washington Street, Newark, with burial immediately following at St. Peter's Cemetery in Rosendale, N.Y.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations in Professor Carey's memory be made to the Seton Hall University School of Law Scholarship Fund, or to the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of his wife, Helen L. Carey.