John M. McHugh

John McHugh
Official portrait, 2009
21stUnited States Secretary of the Army
In office September 21, 2009 – November 1, 2015
President	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Pete Geren
Succeeded by	Eric Fanning
Ranking Member of theHouse Armed Services Committee
In office January 3, 2009 – June 9, 2009
Leader	John Boehner
Preceded by	Duncan Hunter
Succeeded by	Buck McKeon
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York
In office January 3, 1993 – September 21, 2009
Preceded by	Gerald Solomon
Succeeded by	Bill Owens
Constituency	24th district(1993–2003) 23rd district(2003–2009)
Member of theNew York State Senate from the46thdistrict
In office January 1, 1985 – November 8, 1992
Preceded by	Hugh Douglas Barclay
Succeeded by	James W. Wright
Personal details
Born	John Michael McHugh (1948-09-29)September 29, 1948 Watertown,New York,U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Katherine Sullivan (divorced)
Education	Syracuse University Utica College(BA) State University of New York, Albany(MPA)
Signature

John Michael McHugh(born September 29, 1948) is an American politician from the U.S. state ofNew Yorkwho served as the 21stUnited States Secretary of the Army,and represented the state's23rd congressional districtin theUnited States House of Representatives.

In June 2009, PresidentBarack Obamanominated McHugh to the position ofUnited States Secretary of the Army.His nomination was confirmed by theUnited States Senateand he took office on September 21, 2009.

In July 2015, McHugh announced his intent to resign by November 2015. He retired on November 1, 2015 after more than six years of service. On September 18, 2015, President Obama nominatedEric Fanningto be his replacement.

Early life and career

McHugh was born inWatertown, New York.He graduated from Watertown High School in 1966 and attendedSyracuse University;in 1970 he graduated fromUtica Collegewith aB.A.inpolitical science.He later went on to receive aMaster of Public Administrationdegree from the Nelson A. Rockefeller Graduate School of Public Affairs at theState University of New York at Albanyin 1977.

Though he was ofdraftage during theVietnam War,McHugh did not serve in the military.He was an assistant to the Watertowncity managerfrom 1971 to 1977. He served as an aide to State SenatorH. Douglas Barclayfrom 1977 to 1984, when he was elected as Barclay's successor. McHugh was a member of theNew York State Senatefrom 1985 to 1992, sitting in the186th,187th,188thand189th New York State Legislatures.

McHugh is also a member on the Board of Directors at theAtlantic Council.

Congressional career

McHugh as a Congressman

He ran successfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 to replace CongressmanDavid O'Brien Martinin the 24th district, which was renumbered as the 23rd district following redistricting 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) had been in Republican hands continuously since 1871, and some parts of the district had been represented by aDemocratsince 1851. McHugh was reelected eight times with no substantive opposition, running unopposed in 2002.

McHugh was a member of the board of directors of theUnited States Military AcademyinWest Point, New Yorkfor 14 years, including a term as chairman.

McHugh was the ranking Republican on theHouse Armed Services Committee,and was also a senior member of theOversight and Government Reform Committee.He was chairman of the Oversight Committee's Post Service 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 thePostal Accountability and Enhancement Act(Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States)109–435 (text)(PDF)) in 2006. He was a member of theHouse Permanent Select Committee on Intelligencefrom 2005 to 2009.

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 theNo Fly List.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. 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.

McHugh was the only one of New York's eight Republican House incumbents to win more than 60% of the vote 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.

Political views

McHugh is a moderate Republican. He had a lifetime rating of 83% from theAmerican Conservative Union.

He was one of only 8 House Republicans to vote "yes" theAmerican Clean Energy Act(also known as Cap and Trade) on June 26, 2009; the measure passed by only eight votes.

Secretary of the Army

Visits with soldiers from 14 NATO and European partner nations during exercise Combined Resolve II at the Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, May 17, 2014.

On June 2, 2009, McHugh was nominated to the position ofSecretary of the Army,byPresidentBarack Obama.He was confirmed by the Senate in avoice voteon September 16, 2009.He was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of the Army at a Pentagon ceremony on September 21, 2009.McHugh, a Republican appointed by a Democratic president, succeededPete Geren,a Democrat appointed by a Republican president.McHugh never served in the military, but in nominating him, President Obama indicated his view that McHugh's extensive experience on the House Armed Services Committee had prepared him to serve as the Army's top civilian.

In March 2010 McHugh said that he would not pursue discharges against soldiers who told him privately that they were gay. McHugh said he has talked to openly gay soldiers as part of assessing the force's opinion on the repeal of a controversial law that bans openly gay people from serving in the military. Under then current law, known as "Don't ask, don't tell," service members who declare that they are gay would have to be discharged.

In May 2010, McHugh was granted anhonorary degreefrom theState University of New YorkBoard of Trustees, to be presented during the commencement ceremonies atSUNY Oswego.When the decision to award McHugh the honorary degree was made public, the SUNY Oswego Pride Alliance, anLGBTstudent group, organized a protest to be held on campus during the ceremony, with students specifically taking issue with his voting record on gay rights. Following weeks ofdebateon campus, which included a Student Association Senate resolution condemning the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, McHugh withdrew from the ceremony, stating, "it is obvious that my presence at the ceremony might well have a disruptive effect."

In March 2015, McHugh revoked a rule allowing Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) to have their ashes interred at Arlington National Cemetery, ruling these women lacked eligibility due to their classification during the war as civilians.This, in spite of the hazards of the duty (38 died while serving their country).After McHugh stepped down, Congress introduced legislation to reverse McHugh's action. The legislation passed on May 12, 2016, and was signed into law by President Obama on May 20, 2016.

In July 2015, McHugh announced his intent to resign as secretary by November 1, 2015. He had "expressed his desire to [do so] several weeks" earlier. At the time of the announcement defense secretaryAshton Carterand senior New York senatorCharles Schumerexpressed praise and appreciation for McHugh's service.

In September 2015, President Obama nominatedEric Fanning,who had been serving most recently as interim under secretary, to be McHugh's permanent replacement as secretary.

On October 23, 2015 the Army conducted a farewell ceremony for McHugh, which was presided over by Secretary of DefenseAshton Carter.During the ceremony McHugh was presented with theDepartment of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.McHugh completed his term on October 31, 2015.

Later career

In June 2016, theK&L Gatesinternational law firm announced that McHugh and his longtime aide, Anne LeMay, had joined the firm to advise clients on procurement and other defense policy matters.

Personal

McHugh is divorcedfrom Katherine Sullivan, a daughter of AssemblywomanFrances T. Sullivan.He lives in the hamlet ofPierrepont Manor.

In 2006, McHugh was named one of the 50 most beautiful people on Capitol Hill byThe Hillmagazine.

See also

• List of U.S. political appointments that crossed party lines

External links

• Secretary of the Army,United States Army website
• Biographyat theBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office)at theFederal Election Commission
• AppearancesonC-SPAN