Pete McCloskey (1927–2024), GOP congressman who fought Nixon
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2 min readPete McCloskey was a Republican congressman who became the first member of the House to call for Richard Nixon’s resignation, co-wrote the Endangered Species Act, and co-founded Earth Day.
- Died:e280afMay 8, 2024 (Who else died on May 8?)c2
- Details of death:e280afDied in Winters, California of kidney and congestive heart failure at the age of 96.
- We invite you to share condolencese280affor Pete McCloskey in oure280afGuest Book.c2
Pete McCloskey’s legacy
Born in Loma Linda, California, Pete McCloskey was a longtime member of the U.S. military, serving from 1945 to 1974 in the Navy, Marines, Marine Corps Reserves, and Ready Reserves. He retired as a colonel from the Marine Corps Reserves. He served in action in the Korean War, earning a Navy Cross, Silver Star, and two Purple Hearts. He was also a graduate of Stanford University and Stanford University Law School.
McCloskey practiced law in the 1950s and e2809860s, founding McCloskey, Wilson & Mosher, which eventually became the multi-national law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. McCloskey stepped into Congress in a special election in the late 1960s, defeating Shirley Temple (1928– 2014) in the primary. He ended up serving from 1967 to 1983.
Though McCloskey was a Republican, he was the first member of congress to call for President Richard Nixone28099s (1913e28094 1994) resignation following the so-called e2809cSaturday Night Massacre.e2809d Despite himself being a combat veteran, McCloskey also became a staunch anti-war representative, traveling to Cambodia to see the devastation caused by American bombing and denouncing the U.S.e28099 role in the war. Calling himself a Teddy Roosevelt Republican with strong environmental values, he co-chaired the first Earth Day in 1970 and co-wrote the Endangered Species Act. By 2007, he had turned his back on the GOP and renounced the party.
McCloskey wrote or co-wrote several books, including e2809cTruth and Untruth; Political Deceit in America,e2809d e2809cThe Taking of Hill 610: And Other Essays on Friendship,e2809d and e2809cThe Story of the First Earth Day 1970: How Grassroots Activism Can Change Our World.e2809d
On congressional reluctance to pass meaningful environmental laws:
e2809cThe National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 got some impetus from the oil spill, but Ie28099m afraid if the majority of the members of Congress had foreseen its impact, it never would have been passed.e2809d e28094 Interview with Pacific Standard magazine, 2017
Tributes to Pete McCloskey
Full obituary: The Washington Postc2
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