Jack Quinn

Ultimately, his district was preserved and renumbered as the 27th District.

It covered nearly all of his former territory and added Chautauqua County.

On paper, the new 27th was slightly more Republican than the old 30th.

John Francis "Jack" Quinn Jr. (born April 13, 1951) is a former President of Erie Community College (ECC), and a former politician from the State of New York.

Quinn was born in Buffalo, New York on April 13, 1951.

His father, Jack Quinn Sr., was a locomotive engineer with the South Buffalo Railway, and also worked at the Erie County Public Library.

Quinn's mother is Norma; and he has four brothers, Kevin, Jeffrey, Thomas, and Michael.

Quinn graduated from Siena College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973 and the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1978 with a Master's degree in Education.

Quinn also holds a school superintendent credential that he earned at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

Quinn was a middle school English teacher in the Orchard Park Central School District for 10 years, where he coached track and field, basketball, and football.

Prior to entering the teaching field, Quinn briefly worked at the Bethlehem Steel Plant in Lackawanna, New York.

He served on the Hamburg, New York Town Council from 1982 to 1984, followed by a stint as town supervisor until 1993.

After the retirement of Congressman Henry Nowak, Quinn was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 representing most of Buffalo and suburban Erie County in the 30th District.

On paper, the district was heavily Democratic, and had been made even more Democratic after redistricting in 1992.

However, Quinn defeated Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski in an upset.

He was re-elected five more times by surprisingly wide margins in what was by far the most Democratic district in the nation to be represented by a Republican.

Quinn survived in this district in large part due to the close ties he developed with organized labor, something not common with most Republicans.

Quinn worked to develop those ties even while voting against several programs and initiatives early in his career, a few of which included Amtrak subsidies, Social Security, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistant Program.

Despite such votes and initially being an unknown, Quinn was successful in Buffalo, much as Jack Kemp was twenty years earlier.

Quinn was also viewed as being honorable, and he did not have any character issues.

Despite a close relationship with Bill Clinton, whom he considers his friend, he voted for three of the articles of impeachment against him.

He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 2005.

Quinn's political views are moderate-conservative to conservative, and his voting record reflects centrist leanings.

While in Congress, Quinn was active in numerous committees, subcommittees, and caucuses as chair or member.

Prior to becoming a congressional representative, Quinn taught in Orchard Park, New York; worked at a steel plant; and was active in the Hamburg Town Council, as well as being the town's supervisor.

After leaving Congress and prior to taking the top leadership post at ECC, Quinn was also president of a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. Quinn has two adult children, including his son, former New York State Assembly Member Jack Quinn III; and his daughter, Kara Elizabeth.

He currently resides in Hamburg with his wife, Mary Beth.

There have been several suggestions that the House leadership pressured him into doing so, though Quinn, himself, denied this in a 1999 article in the Washington Post.

Quinn stated that his position in regard to impeaching Clinton was “a vote of conscience” that was “a personal decision and personally painful”, though he initially stated that the situation did not merit impeachment.

It has been reported that Clinton's 1999 visit to Buffalo after his State of the Union Address was in response to Quinn's votes.

This came after New York lost a district in the 2000 census.

However, had it existed in 2000, Al Gore would have carried it with 53 percent of the vote, one of his best showings for a district represented by a Republican.

During the 2002 redistricting process, one map had Quinn drawn into a district with a longtime friend, Democrat John LaFalce.

On April 26, 2004, Quinn announced he would not seek re-election.

After leaving Congress, Quinn reported that he had a 70% approval rating while in his position.

Quinn's electoral history record has been tracked at Our Campaigns, and portions of it are also presented here.

During his tenure in Congress, Quinn was a chair and/or active member of several committees, subcommittees, and caucuses.

Quinn was a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he served as chairman of the Railroads Subcommittee.

On the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Quinn was a member of the Transportation Subcommittees on Aviation, Surface Transportation, Mass Transit, and Water and Environment.

Quinn chaired both the Executive Committee of the Congressional Steel Caucusand the Benefits Subcommittee.