Pete McCloskey

Paul Norton Pete McCloskey Jr. (born September 29, 1927) is a former Republican politician from the U.S. state of California who served in the U.S. House of Representatives 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. In April 2007, McCloskey switched his affiliation to the Democratic Party.Born in Loma Linda, California, McCloskey pursued a legal career in Palo Alto, California after graduating from Stanford Law School. He served in the Korean War as a member of the United States Marine Corps. For his service, he was awarded the Navy Cross and the Silver Star. He won election to the House of Representatives in 1967, defeating Shirley Temple in the Republican primary. He unsuccessfully challenged President Richard Nixon in the 1972 Republican primaries on an anti-Vietnam War platform. He co-authored the 1973 Endangered Species Act. After the Saturday Night Massacre, he became the first member of Congress to publicly call for President Nixons resignation.He continually won re-election until 1982, when he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination to represent California in the United States Senate. The nomination was won by Pete Wilson, who went on to defeat Jerry Brown in the general election. During the 1988 Republican presidential primaries, McCloskey helped put an end to Pat Robertsons campaign by revealing that the latter had not served in combat, contrary to Robertsons claims. In 1989, he co-founded the Council for the National Interest. He strongly opposed the Iraq War and supported Democrat John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. In 2006, he unsuccessfully challenged Congressman Richard Pombo in the Republican primary and endorsed Democrat Jerry McNerney in the general election.He has written two books, Truth and Untruth: Political Deceit in America and The Taking of Hill 610: And Other Essays on Friendship.

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