Hon. Patrick McLaughlin, 68, passed peacefully August 28, 2015, surrounded by family after a 3 and 1/2 year battle with pancreatic cancer.
Mr. McLaughlin was born in Keokuk, Iowa. He attended Western Illinois University and graduated with a B.A. in political science. He attended law school at St. Louis University and received his J.D., cum laude, in 1974.
Drafted from law school, Pat proudly served in the U.S. Army before returning to finish his Juris Doctorate.
Pat began his law practice in St. Louis, Missouri, where he worked as an associate for several years. He moved his family to Olney and practiced law, specializing in Civil and Criminal Trial Practice. He was Board Certified in 1986 by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
Pat was elected Circuit Judge of Second Judicial Circuit, Illinois, in 1986 and served in that capacity until 1997. During his tenure in Illinois, he sat, at times, as a special judge of the Illinois Court of Appeals.
In 1997 Pat was appointed as a U.S. Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration and assigned to Jacksonville, Florida, where he remained.
Pat was an active member of Saint Paul’s Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus and American Legion. Pat was the founder of the Florida Pancreas Cancer Coalition, a 501 c (3) organization. After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January of 2012, he was passionate to raise funds to support research for the disease.
