Clarence Coughlin (uncle of
Lawrence Coughlin) was born in
Kingston, Pennsylvania. He was the son of James M. Coughlin, who was the superintendent of Wilkes-Barre school area and would later have a
school named after him following his death.
Education and early career Clarence Coughlin attended
Wesleyan University in
Middletown, Connecticut, and
Harvard College. He taught in the Wilkes-Barre High School from 1906 to 1910. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1910 and practiced law in
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, from 1910 to 1920. He was engaged in manufacturing, banking, and the development of real estate in
Wilkes-Barre and
Scranton.
Political activities He served as a member of the committee of
public safety of the State and county in 1918. Coughlin also served six years as a member of the commission to revise the
penal code of Pennsylvania. He was chairman of the Republican county committee of Luzerne County from 1915 to 1917. == Congress ==