On May 13th, New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News Publisher Joseph W. McQuaid, addressed the Rotary club of Nashua, regarding 50 years of covering presidential politics in New Hampshire. Joe McQuaid has been in the newspaper business for more than 50 years. Starting as an office copy boy, just like his father had to his father. Joe’s father, B.J. McQuaid, was co-founder of the New Hampshire Sunday News and later served as editor-in-chief of the Union Leader.
Joe has covered sports, politics, and general news before becoming editor at The Union Leader. In 1999 he was named president and publisher of the Union Leader Corp. Joe has reported from overseas, won several writing awards, and was inducted this year into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame.
During our meeting Joe spoke extensively about the importance NH has played in past presidential Primaries. From 1952-1992 the NH Primary was won by the elected President, Bill Clinton coming in 2nd in NH primaries yet winning the presidency broke the 40-year streak.
Joe says NH is still a great place to start to meet and greet during a campaign, as long as you have something to say, you have a shot!
He closed with a saying his father would say, ‘Any idiot can run a newspaper and some do!’Joe is the author of “Cog Days,” a memoir of his summers working on the Mt. Washington Cog Railway.