John M. McLaughlin

John M. McLaughlin, 92, a resident of Erie, died Sunday, October 5, 2014, at St. Mary's Home East. He was born on July 25, 1922 in Erie, the son of the late John D. and Ida Sheridan McLaughlin. He graduated from East High School and received an A.B. from Georgetown University in 1943. He served in World War II from 1943 to 1945 in China as a crew member on a C-47 for which he earned an air medal. Upon his return from the service, he attended Georgetown University Law School where he served on the Board of Editors of the Georgetown Law Review. From 1952 to 1962, he served as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Naval Reserve.

He was one of the founding partners of Knox, Weber, Pearson & McLaughlin in 1957. He also served as Special Assistant Attorney General, State Workmen's Insurance Fund, 1955-1960, Solicitor for Erie County, 1962-1966, and Managing Partner of Knox, McLaughlin, Gornall & Sennett from 1973 to 1984. He was widely regarded as one of the preeminent trial attorneys in Western Pennsylvania.

Throughout his professional career, he remained active in Bar-related activities and organizations. He was Chair of the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee of the Erie County Bar Association from 1967 to 1969. From 1973 to 1989, he served as a member of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Advisory Committee on Appellate Court Rules. In 1987, he served as President of the Erie County Bar Association and was also a member of the Judicial Conference for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers. His colleagues in the Erie County Bar honored him by electing him Chancellor of the Bar in 1993.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Lou Sitterle McLaughlin; and sons, John B. and Gerard McLaughlin. He is survived by two sons, the Honorable Sean J. McLaughlin and his wife, Annie, and Attorney Matthew J. McLaughlin; and a daughter, Maura M. McLaughlin and Daniel Maloney, all of Erie. He is also survived by a granddaughter, Attorney Catherine McLaughlin; and four nieces and a nephew.

Friends are invited to call at the John J. Quinn Funeral Home, West 9th & Liberty St., Wednesday from 2-5 & 7-9 p.m. and are invited to attend Prayer Services there Thursday at 10:00 a.m., followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. in St. Peter Cathedral. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Barber National Institute, 100 Barber Pl., Erie, PA 16507 or to The Leukemia And Lymphoma Society, 333 East Carson St., Suite 441, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

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