Pete McCloskey

**Paul Norton "Pete" McCloskey Jr.** (September 29, 1927 – May 8, 2024) was an American politician. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing California from 1967 to 1983. He ran on an anti-war platform for the Republican nomination for President in 1972 but was defeated by incumbent President Richard Nixon.

## Political career

He won election to the House of Representatives in 1967, defeating Shirley Temple in the Republican primary. He co-authored the 1973 Endangered Species Act. He unsuccessfully challenged President Richard Nixon for the Republican nomination in the 1972 election on an anti-Vietnam War platform. He was the first member of Congress to publicly call for President Nixon's resignation after the Saturday Night Massacre.

He was a co-chair of the first Earth Day in 1970. He ran for the United States Senate in 1982, but lost the Republican nomination to Pete Wilson. He unsuccessfully ran for congress again in 2006.

A former U.S. Marine and Korean War veteran, he called out Pat Robertson's false claims of being a combat veteran of the Korean War during the 1988 presidential election. This led to Robertson suing McCloskey and negatively impacting Robertson's own presidential campaign.

In April 2007, McCloskey switched his affiliation to the Democratic Party. He was a critic of the Iraq War and supported John Kerry over President George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election.

## Personal life

McCloskey was born in Loma Linda, California. He studied at Stanford University.

He was a decorated United States Marine Corps veteran of combat during the Korean War, being awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, and two awards of the Purple Heart. He then volunteered for the Vietnam War before eventually turning against it.

In 1949, he married Caroline Wadsworth. They divorced in 1972. He then married Helen V. Hooper in 1982. He had four children.

McCloskey died on May 8, 2024 at his home in Winters, California at the age of 96. The cause of death was kidney and congestive heart failure.

## Other websites

Retrieved on 2008-02-19
- McCloskey's letter endorsing McNerney, July 27, 2006
- _Contra Costa Times_ story on McCloskey's party switch
- Pete McCloskey: Leading from the Front - documentary film aired July 5, 2009, on Truly CA: Our State, Our Stories - KQED
- McCloskey's participation in panel, _The Shape and Mission of the U.S. Military: What's Ahead for America?_ at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **image**: Pete McCloskey.jpg
- **caption**: McCloskey in 1969
- **office1**: Member of the
United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives
from California
- **constituency1**: (1967–1973)
 (1973–1975)
 (1975–1983)
- **term start1**: December 12, 1967
- **term end1**: January 3, 1983
- **predecessor1**: J. Arthur Younger
- **successor1**: Ed Zschau
- **birth name**: Paul Norton McCloskey Jr.
- **birth place**: Loma Linda, California, Loma Linda, California, U.S.
- **death place**: Winters, California, Winters, California, U.S.
- **party**: Democratic Party (United States), Democratic (2007–2024)
- **otherparty**: Republican Party (United States), Republican (1948–2007)
- **spouse**: Caroline McCloskey (div.)
Helen V. Hooper
- **children**: 4
- **education**: Stanford University (Bachelor of Arts, AB, Bachelor of Laws, LLB)
- **allegiance**: United States
- **branch**: United States Navy (1945–1947)
United States Marine Corps (1950–1952)
Marine Forces Reserve, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (1952–1974)
- **serviceyears**: 1945–1964
- **rank**: Colonel
- **battles**: Korean War
- **mawards**: Navy Cross (United States), Navy Cross
Silver Star
Purple Heart (2)