congressional_record: CREC-2026-02-26-pt1-PgS703
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2026-02-26-pt1-PgS703 | 2026-02-26 | 119 | 2 | TRIBUTE TO JOHN McCLAUGHRY | SENATE | SENATE | TRIBUTETO | S703 | S703 | [{"name": "Peter Welch", "role": "speaking"}] | 172 Cong. Rec. S703 | Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 38 (Thursday, February 26, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 38 (Thursday, February 26, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S703] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] TRIBUTE TO JOHN McCLAUGHRY Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize John McClaughry, who will serve as the town moderator of Kirby, VT, for the 60th time this town meeting day. John's journey toward this milestone began in 1963, when he first moved to Vermont. In 1965, John built a log cabin in Kirby, a small town with about 500 residents tucked away in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. He quickly became an important member of the community. Though he lived just part of the year in Kirby--he spent the rest of the year in Washington--he was elected town moderator in 1966. As town moderator, John is responsible for facilitating Kirby's annual town meeting. He ensures that voters' voices are heard, and he shapes compromises that keep the town running. John moved permanently to Vermont in 1970, on the same plot of land where he built his log cabin, and has lived there since. John was elected to represent Kirby in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1969-1973, where he advocated for his constituents and every Vermonter in the Northeast Kingdom. After working on President Reagan's 1980 Presidential campaign, John joined the President's team at the White House Office of Policy Development. Despite his busy schedule in Washington, John always made it back to Kirby for town meeting day in March. In 1989, John would return to the Vermont General Assembly, this time in the State senate representing Caledonia County. John later established the Ethan Allen Institute, a think tank named for Vermont's own hero of the American Revolution. Here, John advocated for limited government and free markets. In 2023, he stepped down from the Ethan Allen Institute to allow for a new generation of leadership, but John has undoubtedly left a mark on Vermont. From the moment I met John in the 1970s, I admired him. John represents much of what makes Vermont's political culture unique: a devotion to localism; a belief in strong Vermont values; and a ``live and let live'' approach to governing. John's commitment to local governance and democracy runs through his life's work. From a life that has ranged from hitching rides on railcars, to serving in Vermont's State House and the White House, it is commendable that John has, for 60 years in a row, served as town moderator for Kirby, the beloved home of John and his wife Anne. ____________________ |