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Rick McIntyre

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Rick McIntyre
Judge of the Lawrence County Circuit Court
In office
November 19, 1988 – October 30, 2007
Appointed byRobert D. Orr
Preceded byLinda Chezem[1]
Succeeded byAndrea McCord[2]
Member of the Indiana House of Representatives
from the 65th district
In office
November 3, 1982 – November 7, 1984
Preceded byWilliam Leon Bevers[3]
Succeeded byFrank Newkirk Jr.
Member of the Indiana House of Representatives
from the 64th district
In office
November 5, 1980 – November 3, 1982
Preceded byMerwyn Terry Fisher[4]
Succeeded byKenneth C. Snider
Personal details
Born
Richard Dean McIntyre

(1956-10-05)October 5, 1956
Bedford, Indiana, U.S.
DiedOctober 30, 2007(2007-10-30) (aged 51)
Bedford, Indiana, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Meredith Mettlen
(m. 1979)
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Colorado
Indiana University

Richard Dean McIntyre (October 5, 1956 – October 30, 2007) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge from the state of Indiana.

Early life

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He was born in 1956 and his original ambition was to become a Navy Pilot. He enrolled in Naval air training in Pensacola, but was forced to quit after a knee injury. He then entered law school in Bloomington, Indiana, and also entered the Indiana National Guard, where he became a military lawyer and rose to the rank of Colonel.

Political career

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In 1980 he entered politics and ran successfully for the Indiana House of Representatives to which he was reelected two years later.

1984 U.S. House of Representatives election

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In 1984, he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives against freshman Democrat Frank McCloskey. Initial returns put McCloskey in the lead by 72 votes,[5] but after a tabulation error was found a month later McIntyre took the lead by 34 votes and was certified a winner even though a recount was still underway.[6] The recount was still underway when the new House was sworn in, and so the Democrat-controlled House voted, along party lines, to seat neither contestant, but to pay them both as though they were congressmen. Normally the House seats a certified winner on a provisional basis, but not if a recount is underway.

The recount was completed by the end of January 1985; the final result had McIntyre ahead by 418 votes. He was again certified the winner and, after Republicans forced a vote on the matter, again denied a seat, though the House Administration Committee promised to resolve the matter in 45 days.[7] A federal recount, led by the Government Accounting Office under rules that were mostly agreed upon on bipartisan basis, found that McCloskey won by four votes, though the task force made several controversial decisions which led the task force's lone Republican to compare it to being raped.[8] Republicans then sought to seat neither candidate and have a new election, but the House, on a party-line vote, chose to seat McCloskey causing House Republicans to stage a symbolic walkout, protest with procedural delays and declare the race stolen.[9]

Later career

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McIntyre with President Reagan and Senator Dan Quayle in 1986

McIntyre was interested in running for Lieutenant Governor in 1986, but was persuaded to seek a rematch with McCloskey. By this time, President Ronald Reagan was less popular than in 1984 and McIntyre was outspent. As a result, McCloskey won by a 53% to 47% margin.

McIntyre lost interest in the national arena and was appointed a Lawrence County Circuit Court Judge in 1988. He was reelected without opposition in 1990, 1996, and 2002, and served until his death.

Personal life and death

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McIntyre lived in Bedford, Indiana. He married Meredith Mettlen in 1979, and they had three children.[10]

On October 30, 2007, McIntyre died at his home, aged 51, from an apparent suicide through carbon monoxide poisoning.[10] He was under federal investigation in relation to a scandal involving the purchase of furniture through a military contract.[11] At the time of his death, McIntyre was a member of the Indiana National Guard, 76th Infantry Brigade Combat team, serving as a judge advocate and preparing for deployment to Iraq.

Notes

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  1. ^ "High court will select temporary judge". January 2007.
  2. ^ "Newsroom". State.in.us. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  3. ^ "List of All Offices and Office Holders". March 5, 2015.
  4. ^ "List of All Offices and Office Holders". March 5, 2015.
  5. ^ Sawyer, Kathy (November 22, 1984). "Democrat Declared Winner Over Rep. Hansen in Idaho: Decision Immediately Challenged". The Washington Post.
  6. ^ Dickenson, James R. (December 15, 1984). "Republican Declared Winner Of House Race in Indiana". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ "House Republicans Are Unable to Seat Indiana Member". The Washington Post. February 8, 1985.
  8. ^ "Task Force Gives Democrat 4-Vote Victory". The Washington Post. April 19, 1985.
  9. ^ "House Seats McCloskey". The Washington Post. May 2, 1985.
  10. ^ a b "Indiana judge's death ruled likely suicide". The Journal Gazette. Associated Press. November 1, 2007. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Indiana House of Representatives
Preceded by
Merwyn Terry Fisher
Member of the Indiana House of Representatives
from the 64th district

1980–1982
Succeeded by
Kenneth C. Snider
Preceded by
William Leon Bevers
Member of the Indiana House of Representatives
from the 65th district

1982–1984
Succeeded by
Frank Newkirk Jr.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Linda Chezem
Judge of the Lawrence County Circuit Court
1988–2007
Succeeded by
Andrea McCord
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for U.S. Congress for Indiana's 8th district
1984, 1986
Succeeded by
John L. Myers