John M. McHugh

The district (and its predecessors) had been in Republican hands continuously since 1871, and some parts of the district had been represented by a Democrat since 1851.

John Michael McHugh (born September 29, 1948) is an American politician from the U.S. state of New York who served as the 21st United States Secretary of the Army, and represented the state's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.

He graduated from Watertown High School in 1966 and attended Syracuse University; in 1970 he graduated from Utica College with a B.A. in political science.

He was an assistant to the Watertown city manager from 1971 to 1977.

He later went on to receive a Master of Public Administration degree from the Nelson A. Rockefeller Graduate School of Public Affairs at the State University of New York at Albany in 1977.

Though he was of draft age during the Vietnam War, McHugh did not serve in the military.

He served as an aide to State Senator H. Douglas Barclay from 1977 to 1984, when he was elected as Barclay's successor.

McHugh was a member of the New York State Senate from 1985 to 1992, sitting in the 186th, 187th, 188th and 189th New York State Legislatures.

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

He ran successfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 to replace Congressman David O'Brien Martin in 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.

McHugh was reelected eight times with no substantive opposition, running unopposed in 2002.

McHugh was a member of the board of directors of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York for 14 years, including a term as chairman.

McHugh was the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, and was also a senior member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

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 the No 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.

He was a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 2005 to 2009.

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 the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act in 2006.

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.

McHugh is a moderate Republican.

He had a lifetime rating of 83% from the American Conservative Union.

In June 2009, President Barack Obama nominated McHugh to the position of United States Secretary of the Army.

His nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate and he took office on September 21, 2009.

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

On June 2, 2009, McHugh was nominated to the position of Secretary of the Army, by President Barack Obama.

He was confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote on 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, succeeded Pete 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.

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 nominated Eric Fanning to be his replacement.

McHugh was born in Watertown, New York.