Early life and education McHugh was born in
Philadelphia, but spent most of his adult life in
New York City. He attended
Brooklyn Technical High School and
Mount St. Mary's University, from which he earned a
Bachelor of Science degree in 1960. He then attended the
Villanova University School of Law, earning his
Juris Doctor in 1963.
Political career After several years of private practice in
Ithaca, New York, he became the district attorney of
Tompkins County from 1969 until 1973. For the next two years, he was a member of the state Democratic Committee. McHugh was elected to the U.S. House in 1974, defeating his opponent, then-
Binghamton Mayor
Al Libous, a Republican, in the
general election. McHugh won the 1974 election with 83,562 votes, while Libous placed second with 68,273 votes. during his final ten years in Congress. He had previously served on the Veterans' Affairs, Agricultural, and Interior Committees. In 1992, McHugh chose not to run for reelection. McHugh is currently a resident of
Ashburn, Virginia. After retiring from the House, he originally worked as the vice president of
Cornell University. He is employed by the
World Bank. He also served on the board of directors of free-enterprise advisory services firm,
FTI Consulting. ==References==