Robert Enoch McLaughlin
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John F. Kennedy
Robert Enoch McLaughlin | |
|---|---|
| 21st President of the Board of Commissioners of Washington, D.C. | |
| In office April 6, 1956 – March 3, 1961 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy |
| Preceded by | Samuel Spencer |
| Succeeded by | Walter Nathan Tobriner |
| District of Columbia Commissioner | |
| In office June 2, 1955 – July 27, 1961 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy |
| Preceded by | Renah F. Camalier |
| Succeeded by | John B. Duncan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 4, 1907 Hobbieville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | November 19, 1978 (aged 71) Blue Hill, Maine, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Ellen May Newman McLaughlin |
| Children | Robert C. H. McLaughlin Stephen F. McLaughlin |
| Alma mater | United States Naval Academy Institut de Touraine National University |
| Profession | Lawyer, Politician |
| Awards | French Legion of Honor Belgian Order of the Crown Order of the Crown of Siam |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1932–35, |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Commander |
| Battles/wars | |
Robert Enoch McLaughlin (1907–1978) was a Washington, DC politician who served as the 21st President of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia, from 1956 to 1961. He is the last Republican to serve as Chief Executive for the District of Columbia.
McLaughlin was born in 1907 in rural Greene County, Indiana, where he attended school until joining the Navy at age 15 and he was assigned, at his request, to the Naval Hospital in Washington. DC.[1] Based on a competitive examination, he won an appointment to the Naval Academy in 1925 and but resigned after two years and went to Paris briefly for international studies at the Institut de Touraine.[2][1] He returned to Washington, DC where he earned a law degree from National University in 1930 while working nights as a deputy clerk in the municipal court and as a law clerk in the United States Attorney's office.[1][3] He was admitted to the bar in 1932 and went into private practice. From 1934 to 1941 he was an attorney and examiner with the Federal Trade Commission, working in both Washington and New York, New York.[2]
In 1941 he rejoined the Navy and served overseas during World War II earning the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He was assigned to Naval Intelligence and participated in the North African Campaign. He was with the assault group on Morocco and spent two years in Casablanca.[1][4][5]
After the war, he was assistant legislative assistant for the Veterans of Foreign War and the legislative director for AmVets.[5] McLaughlin met his wife, Ellen May Newman who was an Englishwoman working at the British Embassy, in Washington in 1947.[3] In 1949 he joined a DC law firm working utility cases.[5]
