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TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) ― Frequent trips out-of-state often left Gov. Jon S. Corzine turning over his powers to Senate President Richard Codey -- a practice that is now in play as the governor recovers from serious car crash injuries, according to a published report.

During the time between his January 2006 inauguration and his accident on April 12, Corzine transferred his powers to Codey, or another official next in line, nearly one out of four days, according to a review of official state records published in The Sunday New York Times.

Examining transfer-of-power letters from Corzine's chief of staff, Tom Shea, The Times found the governor leaving someone else in charge 111 out of 450 days.

Shea's letters don't mention Corzine's destinations. But a review of news reports shows official trips to Washington, an Asia trade mission, and meetings with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The multimillionaire governor also spent long weekends in Europe and the Hamptons on Long Island, and took longer vacations in Telluride, Colo., Italy and St. Bart's.

Under an April 2006 memo from then-Attorney General Zulima Farber, Corzine didn't need to transfer power during overnight stays in Manhattan, where his companion, Sharon Elghanayan, lives.

Corzine spokesman Anthony Coley told The Times that the governor's absences didn't inhibit his ability to govern. "Wherever Jon Corzine goes, his work goes with him," Coley said.

Corzine, a former Goldman Sachs chairman, has a role to play as the state's "marketer-in-chief," Coley said.

"Jon Corzine burns the candle at both ends," Coley said. "He's a seven-day-a-week type of governor."

Corzine's previous travel habits are similar to other wealthy political leaders. New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has a home in Bermuda. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been criticized for his own out-of-state trips.

For now, Corzine's travels are on hold as he recovers from serious injuries, including fractures to his left thigh, 11 ribs, his breastbone and other bones.

Corzine was scheduled to leave Cooper University Hospital in Camden at 1:30 p.m. Monday, but it was uncertain when he would be able to return to work as governor.

Bruce Afran, a Princeton lawyer and government watchdog, hoped Corzine would spend more time in the state after his recovery.

"I think the governor in the end has to commit himself to being here, and hopefully when he recovers, we'll see more of that, because that's the only way to solve policy problems," Afran said.

But some politicians and political scientists thought the trips, while numerous, were acceptable because of modern communications devices such as mobile phones and BlackBerrys.

"You have to find a balance. You don't want to miss anything, but you also need to get away once in a while and get some perspective," said former Gov. Christie Whitman.

Whitman recalled only about a dozen days away during her first year in office. But she increasingly traveled as her national profile grew during her administration.

Codey, who served as governor for 14 months after Gov. James E. McGreevey resigned amid a gay sex scandal, was only away a dozen times during that time. McGreevey had few trips abroad during his first year in office, Codey said.

During his first year, in 1982, former Gov. Thomas H. Kean at one point found himself governing from St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston after suffering a herniated disk.

W. Cary Edwards, who was Kean's chief counsel and attorney general, recalled that Kean worked too much before he was hospitalized.

"We kept saying, 'Tom, get out of here!,"' Edwards said. "There's a need to pull the plug once in a while to just relax and take care of yourself."

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)