Steven J. McAuliffe

Steven McAuliffe
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire
In office October 10, 1992 – April 1, 2013
Appointed by	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Norman H. Stahl
Succeeded by	Landya B. McCafferty
Personal details
Born	Steven James McAuliffe (1948-03-03) March 3, 1948 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Sharon Christa Corrigan Kathleen E. Thomas
Alma mater	Virginia Military Institute Georgetown University
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1973–1977 (active) 1978–1979 (reserve)
Rank	Captain
Unit	J.A.G. Corps

Steven James McAuliffe (born March 3, 1948) is a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire. He is the widower of Christa McAuliffe, one of the victims of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

McAuliffe graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1970. His wife had his VMI ring with her on the shuttle; his classmates replaced the ring after her death.

McAuliffe studied law at Georgetown University Law Center from 1970 to 1973. He was a captain in the U.S. Army JAG Corps from 1973-77. From 1977-80, he was an assistant attorney general in New Hampshire. He was in private practice in Concord, New Hampshire, from 1980 until his appointment to the federal bench in 1992 by President George H. W. Bush. He became chief judge of the New Hampshire district in 2004 on the expiration of Paul J. Barbadoro's term as chief judge; he served in that capacity until 2011. He took senior status on April 1, 2013.

Originally from Massachusetts, McAuliffe now lives in Concord, New Hampshire, where he serves as a federal judge. He continues to serve as a founding director for the Challenger Center for Space Science Education. He has two children, Scott and Caroline, with his first wife, Christa; they were 9 and 6, respectively, when she died in 1986. In early 1992, he married Kathleen E. Thomas, a reading teacher for the Concord School District, and mother of two children.

References

• Steven J. McAuliffe at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.