Clinger served as an officer in the
United States Navy from 1951 to 1955. He was a delegate to the Pennsylvania state constitutional convention, 1967 to 1968, and the
Republican National Convention in 1972. Clinger was associated with the New Process Company of Warren, Pennsylvania from 1955 to 1962, was admitted to the Pennsylvania
bar in 1965, and was a lawyer in private practice.
U.S. House of Representatives Defeating incumbent Representative Joseph S. Ammerman, Clinger was elected as a Republican to the
96th and to the eight succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1997). While in the House of Representatives, he was chairman of the
United States House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight in the
104th Congress, which was quite active in investigating the
Travelgate and
Filegate matters. He was not a candidate for re-election to the
105th Congress in 1996.
Later life After his retirement from Congress, Clinger served as the chairman for the
Chautauqua Institution's board of trustees. He was also a member of the ReFormers Caucus of
Issue One. In October 2016, Clinger was one of thirty Republican ex-lawmakers to sign a public letter condemning GOP presidential nominee (and future president)
Donald Trump as "manifestly unqualified to be president." Clinger died at the age of 92 on May 28, 2021. ==References==