John Porter East

John Porter East (May 5, 1931 – June 29, 1986) was an American Republican politician who served as a U.S. senator from the state of North Carolina from 1981 until his suicide in 1986.

A paraplegic since 1955 because of polio, East was a professor of political science at East Carolina University in Greenville.

Early life and education
John Porter East was born in Springfield, Illinois, 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 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. 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.

In 1980, East narrowly defeated incumbent Democratic Senator Robert Burren Morgan.

In the Senate, he earned a reputation as a staunch social conservative, especially on the issue of abortion. Alongside Jesse Helms, 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, later a prominent columnist for The Washington Times, has been cited as an intellectual fore-bearer of the alt-right movement.

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

Death
On Friday, June 27, 1986, East completed work on the book galleys of his collected essays. He met with Supreme Court nominee Antonin Scalia. Then, commitments met, East 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. He left a note that blamed his doctor for failing to diagnose hypothyroidism, which he believed had robbed him of his intellectual abilities. North Carolina Governor James G. Martin appointed U.S. Representative Jim Broyhill to serve out the rest of East's term.

East is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.