John M. McHugh

John Michael McHugh (born September 29, 1948) is the 21st United States Secretary of the Army and a former Republican politician from the state of New York, who represented the state's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.

On June 2, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated him to the position of United States Secretary of the Army. The United States Senate confirmed McHugh in a voice vote on September 16, 2009. He was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of the Army at a Pentagon ceremony on September 21, 2009, even though he has never served in the Army.

Early life and career
McHugh was born in Watertown, New York. He graduated from Watertown High School in 1966 and went on to Utica College where he graduated with a B.A. in political science in 1970. He later went on to receive a Master of Public Administration degree from the Nelson A. Rockefeller Graduate School of Public Affairs at the State University of New York at Albany in 1977.

McHugh served as an assistant to Watertown's city manager from 1971 to 1977. He then served as an aide to State Senator H. Douglas Barclay from 1977 to 1984, when he was elected as his successor. He served as a member of the State Senate until his election to Congress.

Congressional career
He ran successfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 to replace Congressman David O'Brien Martin in the 24th district, which was renumbered as the 23rd district after the 2000 census. This part of Upstate New York has historically been very Republican at the congressional level, though it has recently become more competitive in presidential elections. The district (and its predecessors) has been in Republican hands continuously since 1871, and some parts of the district have not been represented by a Democrat since 1851. McHugh has been reelected eight times with no substantive opposition, even running unopposed in 2002.

McHugh was the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, and is also a senior member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He was chairman of the Oversight Committee's Post Service Subcommittee for six years, and worked to pass legislation to significantly reform the U.S. Postal Service for the first time since it was demoted from a Cabinet-rank department with passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act in 2006. He was a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence from 2005 to 2007.

McHugh defeated his Democratic opponent, Dr. Robert J. Johnson, in 2004 and again in 2006. During the campaign, Dr. Johnson found himself unable to fly due to his name appearing on the No Fly List. At the time, Johnson speculated that he was added to the list because of his anti-war views and opposition to McHugh. McHugh's office denied any wrongdoing. A later CBS News investigation discovered that the name "Robert Johnson" appeared on the list due to its use as an alias by a man convicted of plotting bombings in Toronto. Several other men named Robert Johnson were affected by its inclusion.

McHugh was the only one of New York's eight Republican incumbents to win by more than 60% of the vote in 2006. The other seven were either defeated or were held below 60% by their Democratic challengers. McHugh defeated Democrat Mike Oot in 2008, garnering 65.3% of the vote.

Political views
McHugh is a moderate Republican, which is typical for Republicans from New York. He has a lifetime rating of 71 from the American Conservative Union.

McHugh voted "yes" along with only 7 other Republicans on the American Clean Energy Act (also known as Cap and Trade) on June 26, 2009. The measure passed by only eight votes.

Secretary of the Army
On June 2, 2009, McHugh was nominated to the position of Secretary of the Army, by President Barack Obama. He was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of the Army at a Pentagon ceremony on September 21, 2009. Interestingly, McHugh, a Republican appointed by a Democratic president, succeeded Pete Geren, a Democrat appointed by a Republican president. McHugh never served in any branch of the military.

In March 2010 McHugh said that he would not pursue discharges against soldiers who tell him privately that they are gay. McHugh said he has talked to openly gay soldiers as part of assessing the force's opinion on the repeal of a controversial law that bans openly gay people from serving in the military. Under then current law, known as “Don't ask, don’t tell,” service members who declare that they are gay would have to be discharged, but McHugh indicated he would not pursue any discharges against soldiers who make those statements in private conversations with him.

In May 2010, McHugh was granted an honorary degree from the State University of New York Board of Trustees, to be presented during the commencement ceremonies at SUNY Oswego. When the decision to award McHugh the honorary degree was made public, the SUNY Oswego Pride Alliance, an LGBT student group, organized a protest to be held on campus during the ceremony. Following weeks of debate on campus, which included a Student Association Senate resolution condemning the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, McHugh withdrew from the ceremony, stating, "it is obvious that my presence at the ceremony might well have a disruptive effect."

Personal
McHugh is divorced from his wife, Katherine Sullivan. He has a home in the hamlet of Pierrepont Manor.

McHugh was voted one of the 50 most beautiful people on Capitol Hill by The Hill magazine.