John Porter East (May 5, 1931 – June 29, 1986) was a Republican

U.S. senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from the state of North Carolina from 1981 until his

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

in 1986. A

paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural ...

since 1955 because of polio, East was a professor of political science at

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university, public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a Normal school, teacher training school, East ...

in Greenville.

Early life and education

John Porter East was born in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

on May 5, 1931, the son of an employee of the State of Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Earlham College in Indiana where he was left tackle on the football team. After his graduation in 1953, he married Priscilla Sherk and was commissioned as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. In 1955, East contracted polio while serving at Camp Lejeune. He would never walk again. He received a LL.B. degree from the

University of Illinois College of Law The University of Illinois College of Law (Illinois Law or UIUC Law) is the law school of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a public university in Champaign, Illinois. It was established in 1897 and offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S. ...

and practiced law in Naples, Florida for one year. He went on to receive his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Florida.

Political career

East was a protégé of conservative Senator

Jesse Helms Jesse Alexander Helms Jr. (October 18, 1921 – July 4, 2008) was an American politician. A leader in the conservative movement, he served as a senator from North Carolina from 1973 to 2003. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee ...

. In 1966, East ran unsuccessfully for a vacancy in the United States House of Representatives in a special election, a race won by

Walter B. Jones, Sr. Walter Beaman Jones Sr. (August 19, 1913 – September 15, 1992), was an American Democratic politician from the state of North Carolina who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1966 until his death from natural causes in ...

In 1980, with the benefit of

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

's North Carolina influence, East narrowly defeated incumbent Democratic Senator Robert Burren Morgan, largely on the strength of political advertising about Morgan's involvement with the turnover of the Panama Canal to the government of Panama. In the Senate, he earned a reputation as a staunch social conservative, especially on the issue of abortion. Alongside

, East led opposition to the bill to create a federal holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1983. East was also a national security hawk, and was a member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Security and Terrorism along with Orrin Hatch and Jeremiah Denton. The committee is notable for its accusations of Soviet infiltration of left-wing think tanks, publications and activist groups such as the Institute for Policy Studies and the magazine '' Mother Jones''. East's primary national security staffer on the committee,

Samuel T. Francis Samuel Todd Francis (April 29, 1947 – February 15, 2005), known as Sam Francis, was an American columnist and writer. He was a columnist and editor for the conservative ''Washington Times'' until he was dismissed after making racist remarks at ...

, later a prominent columnist for '' The Washington Times'', has been cited as an intellectual fore-bearer of the

alt-right The alt-right, an abbreviation of alternative right, is a far-right, white nationalist movement. A largely online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late 2000s before increasing in popularity during the mid-2 ...

movement. In 1986, East announced that he would not seek re-election, and would instead return to his teaching position. That summer, East, suffering from

hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism (also called ''underactive thyroid'', ''low thyroid'' or ''hypothyreosis'') is a disorder of the endocrine system in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. It can cause a number of symptoms, such as po ...

, killed himself at his North Carolina home. He left a note that blamed his doctor for failing to diagnose a disease he believed had robbed him of his intellectual abilities.

Death

On Friday, June 27, 1986, Senator East completed work on the book galleys of his collected essays. He met with

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

nominee

Antonin Scalia Antonin Gregory Scalia (; March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1986 until his death in 2016. He was described as the intellectu ...

. Then, commitments met, the Senator drove to Greenville with his aide, John Petree, and arrived home about noon on Saturday. Petree stayed with him until daughter Kathryn arrived for a visit. Kathryn left her father "in good spirits" about midnight. Petree returned to East's house on Sunday morning, June 29. He found the front door ajar. The senator was dead in his garage, a victim of suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning."N.C. Sen. John East is apparent suicide," ''The Stars and Stripes'' (European edition), June 30, 1986, p1 North Carolina Governor

James G. Martin James Grubbs Martin (born December 11, 1935) is an American organic chemist and politician who served as the List of Governors of North Carolina, 70th governor of North Carolina from 1985 to 1993. He was the third Republican elected to the of ...

appointed

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Jim Broyhill to serve out the rest of East's term. Broyhill was later defeated in his election bid in November 1986 by former Democratic Governor Terry Sanford. East is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

References

External links

ANC Explorer
* {{DEFAULTSORT:East, John Porter 1931 births 1986 suicides 1986 deaths American political scientists American politicians with disabilities American politicians who committed suicide Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Earlham College alumni East Carolina University faculty Jesse Helms New Right (United States) North Carolina Republicans People from Greenville, North Carolina People with polio Politicians from Springfield, Illinois Politicians with paraplegia Republican Party United States senators from North Carolina Suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning Suicides in North Carolina United States Marines University of Florida alumni University of Illinois College of Law alumni Wheelchair users 20th-century political scientists

Early life and education

Political career

Death

See also

References

Further reading

External links