Robert Enoch McLaughlin

Robert Enoch McLaughlin (1907–1978) was a Washington, DC politician who served as the 21st President of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia, from 1956 to 1961. He is the last Republican to serve as Chief Executive for the District of Columbia.

Early life McLaughlin was born in 1907 in rural Greene County, Indiana, where he attended school until joining the Navy at age 15 and he was assigned, at his request, to the Naval Hospital in Washington. DC. Based on a competitive examination, he won an appointment to the Naval Academy in 1925 and but resigned after two years and went to Paris briefly for international studies at the Institut de Touraine. He was admitted to the bar in 1932 and went into private practice. From 1934 to 1941 he was an attorney and examiner with the Federal Trade Commission, working in both Washington and New York, New York.

After the war, he was assistant legislative assistant for the Veterans of Foreign War and the legislative director for AmVets. He supported bills to add an elected city council and others to have an elected mayor; supported the passage of the 23rd Amendment which occurred while he was on the board; and the creation of a city-wide primary in 1956 to choose delegates to the two conventions. He led the creation of the police's K-9 corps. After the Kennedy election, McLaughlin was replaced as President of the Board by Walter N. Tobriner, a Democrat; but McLaughlin chose to serve out his term in order to get his retirement benefits and left the Board at the end of July when his replacement was confirmed. His replacement Frank D. Reeves was the first black member of the Board, a fact that McLaughlin celebrated.

Later life and death After resigning as commissioner, McLaughlin moved into banking and private law practice. He later moved to Brooklin, Maine and continued to practice law there as well as serve as secretary-treasurer of Pioneer Airlines.