John A. Durkin

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
John Durkin
Durkin in 1975
United States Senator
from New Hampshire
In office
September 18, 1975 – December 29, 1980
Preceded byNorris Cotton
Succeeded byWarren Rudman
Personal details
Born
John Anthony Durkin

(1936-03-29)March 29, 1936
Brookfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedOctober 16, 2012(2012-10-16) (aged 76)
Franklin, New Hampshire, U.S.
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
SpousePatricia Durkin (Divorced)
Children3
EducationCollege of the Holy Cross (BA)
Georgetown University (JD)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service1959–1961
RankLieutenant

John Anthony Durkin (March 29, 1936 – October 16, 2012) was an American politician who served as a

Democratic U.S. Senator from New Hampshire
from 1975 until 1980.

Early life and education

Born March 29, 1936, in

Town Meeting.[1]

He went on to attend the

U.S Navy ROTC program, he received his commission in the United States Navy as an Ensign. Durkin served in the Navy from 1959 to 1961, attaining the rank of Lieutenant (Junior Grade)
.

After his Navy service, Durkin enrolled at

insurance companies on behalf of consumers.[1]

United States Senate

1974 Senate election

Main article:
1974 and 1975 United States Senate elections in New Hampshire

In 1974, Durkin won the

United States Senate, which is the final arbiter of Senate elections under the Constitution.[3]

The Senate Rules Committee, deadlocked on whether to seat Wyman for the 1975–1981 term, and sent the question to the full Senate. On January 14, 1975, the Senate returned the matter to the Rules Committee, which again returned it to the full Senate, enumerating 35 disputed points that questioned the election based on 3,000 questionable ballots. The full Senate was still unable to break the deadlock on even one of the 35 points. After seven months and six unsuccessful attempts by Democratic senators to seat Durkin, and much media attention in the New Hampshire press, Wyman proposed that he and Durkin run again in a special election. Durkin agreed, and the Senate declared the seat vacant on August 8, 1975, pending the outcome of the new election. In the meantime, Thomson again appointed Cotton as a caretaker until the new election was held. In the September 16, 1975, special election, Durkin defeated Wyman by over 27,000 votes.

When asked about the experience of going through such a long-contested election many years later in 2008, Durkin told

The Associated Press that he wouldn't wish the experience on his worst enemy. "I'd much rather have read about it than have lived it," he said.[4] Having initially resisted the idea of holding a special election to resolve the matter, Durkin recalled in 2008, that it was eventually his daughter, 8 years old at the time, who helped change his mind: "She said, 'Dad, don't you realize they can't make their mind up about anything?'," Durkin said. "When the kids realize it, I thought I had to do something."[4]

Highlights of Senate service

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska

For the first four years of his term, Durkin served alongside fellow Democrat

alternative energy sources, and preserving Federal lands in Alaska for future generations.[1] Durkin called for a Senate investigation into the International Brotherhood of Teamsters pension fund and its apparent ties to underworld crime.[5] Durkin introduced an amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), which would have provided public financing of campaigns by providing free television and radio time, postage, and telephone service to all bona fide congressional candidates.[6]

Working as a key Senate supporter of the legislation, and in coordination with staff of then

Cecil D. Andrus, Durkin played a key role in helping achieve successful passage of the Alaska Lands Act, enacted in 1980.[7]

Durkin meeting with President Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office, 1978

In 1976, the United States Coast Guard attempted to assert jurisdiction over two of New Hampshire's interior waterways, Lake Winnisquam and Lake Winnipesaukee, on the grounds that they could be navigated via the Merrimack River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean.[8][9] Durkin led the successful Congressional effort to prevent the takeover, arguing that New Hampshire's government provided more effective oversight than the federal government could, and that the state government could not withstand the loss of revenue from boat registration fees.[10]

1980 Senate election

Durkin was defeated in his

1980 Senate re-election bid by former state Attorney General Warren Rudman. He resigned early, six days before the end of his term, so Rudman could be appointed and gain a seniority advantage over other senators elected in 1980. Durkin resumed the practice of law and resided in Manchester. He sought New Hampshire's other Senate seat in 1990, but was defeated by Republican Congressman Bob Smith.[11]

Death

In his later years Durkin resided at the New Hampshire Veterans Home, battling various ailments. He died on October 16, 2012, at Franklin Regional Hospital in Franklin, New Hampshire, aged 76. He had three children: John, Andrea and Sheilagh.[1][2] He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "In Memoriam: Sen. John A. Durkin" Archived 2015-06-24 at the Wayback Machine, New Hampshire Bar Association, Bar News, November 16, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "John Durkin obituary". Legacy.com. October 16, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  3. ^ "Closest Election in Senate History". Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "John A. Durkin, Winner of Close Senate Election, Dies at 76", Associated Press, October 17, 2012; retrieved June 24, 2015.
  5. ^ Herling, John (1977). John Herling's Labor Letter. Vol. 27. Washington, DC: John Herling's Labor Letter, Incorporated. p. 10.
  6. Newspapers.com
    .
  7. ^ U.S. House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (1979). Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1979: Hearings Before the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 280.
  8. ^ "Coast Guard Move Rapped". Nashua Telegraph. Nashua, NH. Associated Press. March 26, 1976. p. 36.
  9. ^ Kellogg, Jonathan (April 10, 1976). "At lakes Hearing in Concord, Opposition Heavy to Coast Guard Move". Nashua Telegraph. Nashua, NH. Associated Press. p. 3.
  10. ^ Kifner, John (April 18, 1976). "Lakes Battle Won in New Hampshire". New York Times. New York. p. 32.
  11. ^ Times Staff and Wire Reports (October 17, 2012). "Passings: John Durkin, former U.S. Senator from New Hampshire, dies at 76". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA.
  12. ^ "Burial detail: Durkin, John Anthony". ANC Explorer. Retrieved December 25, 2022.

External links

Party political offices
Preceded by
1974, 1975, 1980
 Succeeded by
Preceded by
U.S. Senator from New Hampshire
(Class 2)
1990
 Succeeded by
Richard Swett
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. Senator (Class 3) from New Hampshire
1975–1980
Served alongside: Thomas McIntyre, Gordon Humphrey 		Succeeded by
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