Pete McCloskey, GOP congressman who once challenged Nixon, dies at 96

FRESNO, Calif. -- Pete McCloskey — a pro-environment, anti-war California Republican who co-wrote the Endangered Species Act and co-founded Earth Day — has died. He was 96.

A fourth-generation Republican "in the mold of Teddy Roosevelt," helium often said, McCloskey represented the 12th Congressional District for 15 years, moving for president against an incumbent Richard Nixon successful 1972. He battled enactment leaders portion serving 7 presumption successful Congress and went connected to publically disavow the GOP successful his aboriginal years.

Years aft leaving Washington, McCloskey made 1 past bid for elective bureau successful 2006 erstwhile helium challenged Richard Pombo of Northern California’s 11th District successful a superior contention that McCloskey described arsenic "a conflict for the psyche of the Republican Party." After losing to Pombo, who had spent astir of his tenure successful Washington attempting to undo the Endangered Species Act, helium threw his enactment down Democrat Jerry McNerney, the eventual winner.

"It was foolish to tally against him (Pombo), but we didn't person anybody other to bash it, and I could not basal what a------ they'd become," the frank-talking erstwhile Marine colonel said of the modern GOP successful a 2008 interrogation with The Associated Press.

McCloskey cited disillusionment from power peddling and morals scandals nether the George W. Bush medication arsenic reasons wherefore helium switched parties successful 2007 astatine the property of 79.

"A pox connected them and their values," helium wrote successful an unfastened missive explaining the power to his supporters.

Born successful Loma Linda, California, connected Sept. 29, 1927, arsenic Paul Norton McCloskey Jr., helium graduated from South Pasadena High School, wherever the 2nd baseman made the school's shot hallway of fame, though helium self-deprecatingly called himself "perhaps the worst subordinate connected the shot team."

He earned a instrumentality grade from Stanford University and founded an environmental instrumentality steadfast successful Palo Alto earlier making the determination to nationalist office. In 1967, helium defeated chap Republican Shirley Temple Black and Democrat Roy Archibald successful a peculiar election for the San Mateo County legislature seat.

The left-leaning McCloskey had a thundering beingness successful Washington, attempting to get onto the level of the 1972 Republican National Convention during his bid to unseat then-President Nixon connected an anti-Vietnam War platform. He yet was blocked by a regularisation written by his person and instrumentality schoolhouse statement partner, John Ehrlichman, that said a campaigner could not get to the level with less than 25 delegates. McCloskey had one.

Still, McCloskey loved to accidental helium finished second.

He would aboriginal sojourn Ehrlichman successful prison, wherever Nixon's erstwhile counsel served 1.5 years for conspiracy, perjury and obstruction of justness successful the Watergate break-in that led to the president's resignation.

While successful office, McCloskey besides was known for befriending Palestinian person Yasser Arafat and criticized Israeli power connected American politics. The congressman was the archetypal to request Nixon's impeachment, and the archetypal to request a repeal of the Gulf of Tonkin solution that allowed the Vietnam War.

But his enduring bequest is the Endangered Species Act, which protects taxon designated arsenic endangered oregon threatened and conserves the ecosystems connected which they depend. McCloskey co-wrote the authorities successful 1973, aft a run by young radical empowered by Earth Day activities successfully unseated 7 of 12 Congress members known arsenic "The Dirty Dozen" for their anti-environment votes.

"On that day, the satellite changed," McCloskey recalled successful 2008. "Suddenly, everybody was an environmentalist. My Republican colleagues started asking maine for copies of aged speeches I had fixed connected h2o and aerial quality."

After 15 years successful the House, helium mislaid his tally for a Senate spot to Republican Pete Wilson, who went connected to beryllium California's governor. He moved backmost to agrarian Yolo County, relishing the beingness of a husbandman and part-time attorney.

"You know, if radical telephone you 'congressman' each the time, you'll extremity up reasoning you're smarter than you are," helium said.

McCloskey, however, couldn't enactment quiescent forever.

In 2006, aft his unsuccessful contention against Pombo, helium helped signifier the Revolt of the Elders Coalition, a radical of retired Republican congressmen who pushed to get soldiers much wealth for college, undo measures that made it tougher to analyse morals violations and rallied against those who had received backing from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, including Pombo.

"If you tin bash thing astatine property 80 that positively affects our country, you should beryllium arrogant of it. Otherwise there's nary redeeming worth successful getting older," helium said.

McCloskey is survived by his wife, Helen — his longtime property caput whom helium joined successful 1978 — and 4 children by his archetypal wife: Nancy, Peter, John and Kathleen.

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This communicative contains biographical accusation compiled by erstwhile AP writer Tracie Cone.