John M. McHugh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| John M. McHugh | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office September 21, 2009 |
|
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Pete Geren |
|
|
|
| In office January 3, 2003 – September 21, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Sherwood Boehlert |
| Succeeded by | Bill Owens |
|
|
|
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Gerald B. H. Solomon |
| Succeeded by | Sherwood Boehlert |
|
New York State Senator
from the 46th district |
|
| In office 1985 – 1992 |
|
|
|
|
| Born | September 29, 1948 Watertown, New York |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Katherine Sullivan (divorced) |
| Residence | Pierrepont Manor, New York |
| Alma mater | Utica College (B.A.) SUNY, Albany (M.P.A) |
| Occupation | Insurance Broker Government Worker[1] |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
John Michael McHugh (born September 29, 1948) is the 21st United States Secretary of the Army and a former Republican politician from the state of New York, formerly representing the state's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.
On June 2, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated him to the position of United States Secretary of the Army.[2] The United States Senate confirmed McHugh in a voice vote on September 16, 2009.[3] He was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of the Army at a Pentagon ceremony on September 21, 2009.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Early life and career
McHugh was born in Watertown, New York. He graduated from Watertown High School in 1966 and went on to Utica College where he graduated with a B.A. in political science in 1970. He later went on to receive a Master of Public Administration degree from the Nelson A. Rockefeller Graduate School of Public Affairs at the State University of New York at Albany in 1977.
McHugh served as an assistant to Watertown's city manager from 1971 to 1977. He then served as an aide to State Senator H. Douglas Barclay from 1977 to 1984, when he was elected as his successor. He served as a member of the State Senate until his election to Congress.
[edit] Congressional career
He ran successfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 to replace Congressman David O'Brien Martin in the 24th district, which was renumbered as the 23rd district after the 2000 census. This part of Upstate New York has historically been very Republican at the congressional level, though it has recently become more competitive in presidential elections. The district (and its predecessors) has been in Republican hands continuously since 1871, and some parts of the district have not been represented by a Democrat since 1851. McHugh has been reelected eight times with no substantive opposition, even running unopposed in 2002.
McHugh was the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, and is also a senior member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He was chairman of the Oversight Committee's Post Office Subcommittee for six years, and worked to pass legislation to significantly reform the U.S. Postal Service for the first time since it was demoted from a Cabinet-rank department with passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (P.L. 109-435) in 2006. He was a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 2005 to 2007.
McHugh defeated his Democratic opponent, Dr. Robert J. Johnson, in 2004 and again in 2006. During the campaign, Dr. Johnson found himself unable to fly due to his name appearing on the No Fly List.[5] At the time, Johnson speculated that he was added to the list because of his anti-war views and opposition to McHugh. McHugh's office denied any wrongdoing.[5] A later CBS News investigation discovered that the name "Robert Johnson" appeared on the list due to its use as an alias by a man convicted of plotting bombings in Toronto. Several other men named Robert Johnson were affected by its inclusion.[6]
McHugh was the only one of New York's eight Republican incumbents to win over 60% in 2006. The other seven were either defeated or were held below 60% by their Democratic challengers. McHugh defeated Democrat Mike Oot in 2008, garnering 65.3% of the vote.
[edit] Political views
McHugh is a moderate Republican, which is typical for Republicans from New York. He has a lifetime rating of 71 from the American Conservative Union.
[edit] Secretary of the Army
On 2 June 2009, McHugh was nominated to the position of Secretary of the Army, by President Barack Obama.[7][8] He was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of the Army at a Pentagon ceremony on September 21, 2009.[4] McHugh replaced the former Army Secretary, Pete Geren.[2]
[edit] Personal
McHugh is divorced from his wife, Katherine Sullivan.[9] His home is in the hamlet of Pierrepont Manor.
McHugh was voted one of the 50 most beautiful people on Capitol Hill by The Hill magazine.[10]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/02/army.secretary/index.html
- ^ http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/09/rep_john_mchugh_is_confirmed_a.html
- ^ a b http://www.wwnytv.com/news/local/60012302.html
- ^ a b http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/63406
- ^ Dr. Robert Johnson "no fly" controversy
- ^ "Obama Pick for Army Secretary Wary of Gitmo Closure". Fox News. 2 June 2009. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/02/obama-new-york-republican-representative-army-secretary/. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ^ "ABC News: Obama picks North Country congressman as Secretary of Army". Times Union (Albany). 2 June 2009. http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=806105. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
- ^ Marriage details
- ^ "50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill" Retrieved on 2008-11-03.
[edit] External links
- Secretary of the Army, United States Army website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
| New York State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by H. Douglas Barclay |
New York State Senate, 46th District 1985–1992 |
Succeeded by James W. Wright |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Gerald B. H. Solomon |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 24th congressional district 1993–2003 |
Succeeded by Sherwood Boehlert |
| Preceded by Sherwood Boehlert |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 23rd congressional district 2003–2009 |
Succeeded by Bill Owens |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Pete Geren |
United States Secretary of the Army September 21, 2009–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
|
|||||||
|
||||||||||
