John McClaughry is an American author and politician. He served in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

from 1969 to 1972 and the

Vermont State Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator represents at least 20,300 citizens. ...

from 1989 to 1992.

Early life and education

McClaughry grew up in

Paris, Illinois Paris is a city in Edgar County, Illinois, south of Chicago and west of Indianapolis. The population was 8,291 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Edgar County, Illinois, Edgar County. History Paris was established i ...

. In 1958, he earned an AB in physics and mathematics from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

. In 1960, he earned an MS in nuclear engineering from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. In 1963, he earned a MA in political science from

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. From 1962 to 1965, McClaughry spent time living as a

hobo A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps, and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; a bum neither travels nor works. Et ...

and hopped trains, traveling in

boxcar A boxcar is the North American (Association of American Railroads, AAR) and South Australian Railways term for a Railroad car#Freight cars, railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simpl ...

s about 5,000 miles across 19 states.

Career

McClaughry moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked at the moderate Republican magazine ''Advance''. In 1968,

John F. Osborne John F. Osborne (March 15, 1907 – May 3, 1981) was an American magazine editor and journalist. Background He was born in Corinth, Mississippi. Career Osborne wrote for the Memphis Commercial Appeal and the Associated Press before joining t ...

in ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...

'' called McClaughry "a remarkable white Republican activist" who was working "to promote black opportunity and black control of black communities." He moved to Vermont permanently in 1970. In 1969, McClaughry was elected to a seat in the

. He served until 1972. McClaughry served as a senior policy advisor in Ronald Reagan's presidential campaign of 1980. Afterwards, he served in the White House Office of Policy Development until March 1982. McClaughry ran for senate in the 1982 United States Senate election in Vermont. He placed third in the Republican primary. In 1989, McClaughry was elected to the

where he served until 1992. In 1992, he was the Republican candidate for

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold guberna ...

, ultimately losing to incumbent Democrat

Howard Dean Howard Brush Dean III (born November 17, 1948) is an American physician, author, consultant, and retired politician who served as the 79th governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003 and chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 2005 to 20 ...

. McClaughry had been the Town meeting day moderator in

Kirby, Vermont Kirby is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 575 at the 2020 census. History The town was chartered to Roswell Hopkins in 1790; Hopkins served as Clerk of the House of Representatives and Secretary of State ...

, since 1967. In 1993, McClaughry founded the Ethan Allen Institute. He served as president from 1993 to 2009, and as acting president in 2010, then vice president to retirement in 2023.

Books

*''Expanded Ownership'' (Sabre Foundation, 1972) *with Frank M. Bryan, ''The Vermont Papers: Recreating Democracy on a Human Scale'' (Chelsea Green, 1989) *''A Better Path - From Welfare to Work'' (Ethan Allen Institute, 1993) *''Promoting Civil Society Among the Heathen'', Institute for Liberty and Community, 2013.

References

External links

Vermont HistoryJohn McClaughry, Author at Front Porch Republic
{{DEFAULTSORT:McClaughry, John Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Hoboes Miami University alumni Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly Living people Year of birth missing (living people)