Joe McLaughlin Bio

Joseph R. McLaughlin was born September 16, 1954 in New York City where his father was serving in the United States Coast Guard. Joe spent his youth traveling while his father’s duties as an officer carried him to several East Coast ports.




Joe has been married for 24 years to the former Sherrill Ann Baucom of Charlotte, NC, who is a Registered Nurse at Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville. They have 3 children, with son Matt being a recent graduate of N.C. State and daughters Colleen and Caitlin, both attending White Oak High School.

Joe received a Presidential Appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. Joe graduated from the Academy and, due to vision requirements to fly, volunteered for a commission in the United States Army. His first duty assignment was the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. Over a decorated military career, Joe served in a wide range of command and staff assignments in infantry, airborne and mechanized units in Georgia, California, Korea and Washington, D.C.

Joe also earned a Master of Science from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and was a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon his retirement in 1994, Joe settled in Jacksonville, NC where he works as a financial advisor.
Joe is currently serving in his second term on the Onslow County Board of Commissioners and is now seeking the Republican nomination for North Carolina’s District 3 Congressional seat.