Thornton John Cleaver Jr. (September 26, 1944 – December 1, 2022), better known as Skip Cleaver, was an American politician in the state of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

Early life

Cleaver was born in

Clearfield, Pennsylvania Clearfield is a borough and the county seat of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 5,962 people, making it the second most populous community in Clearfield County, behind DuBois. The borough ...

, on September 26, 1944.

Education

Cleaver earned a B.S. in political science and history and an M.B.A. international business from

Rivier University Rivier University is a private Catholic liberal arts university in Nashua, New Hampshire. Rivier is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education and approved by the New Hampshire Department of Education. History Rivier Universit ...

Military career

Cleaver served from 1965 to 1971 in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

Political career

On November 8, 2016, Cleaver was elected to the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...

where he represented the Hillsborough 35 district. Cleaver assumed office in 2016. Cleaver was a Democrat. Cleaver endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

Personal life and death

Since 1975 Cleaver resided in

Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester. Along with Manchester, it is a seat of New Hampshire's most populous ...

. Cleaver was married, had three children, and four grandchildren. Cleaver died in

Keene, New Hampshire Keene is a city in, and the seat of Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 census, down from 23,409 at the 2010 census. Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England. It ...

, on December 1, 2022, at the age of 78.

References

1944 births 2022 deaths Rivier University alumni People from Clearfield, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania Politicians from Nashua, New Hampshire Democratic Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians {{NewHampshire-politician-stub