John Northrup
| John H. Northrup | |
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| Personal Details | |
| Education: | Princeton University (B.A., History, cum laude); Northeastern University (M.S., Accounting) |
| Military: | United States Navy (1974–1977) |
| Occupation: | Certified Public Accountant; Certified Internal Auditor; Accounting Professor |
| Residence: | Syracuse, New York |
| Party: | Libertarian Party |
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John H. Northrup is a Libertarian Party activist, Certified Public Accountant, and educator from Syracuse, New York. He was the Libertarian Party of New York nominee for Governor of New York in 1982 and previously ran as the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Congress from New York's 32nd District in 1980.
Biography
Early Life and Education
Northrup is a native of Syracuse, New York, continuing a family tradition of public service — fifty years before his own congressional run, his grandfather had sought the same office from New York's 32nd District.[1]
He graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.[1] He subsequently pursued graduate study in accounting at Northeastern University, where he earned a master's degree and was elected to the Beta Alpha Psi and Beta Gamma Sigma honorary fraternities.[1] At the time of his 1982 campaign, he was also working toward a doctorate, which he postponed to campaign full-time beginning September 1, 1982.[1]
Military Service
Northrup served as an officer in the United States Navy from 1974 to 1977.[1] He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.[1]
Professional Career
Following his military service, Northrup completed his education and went to work for a major accounting firm.[1] He subsequently served as an international consultant to a Swiss investment firm and as Director of Internal Auditing for a Syracuse-based insurance company.[1] By the time of his 1982 gubernatorial campaign, he held a private practice as a Certified Public Accountant in Syracuse and served on the accounting faculty of Syracuse University as a Professor of Accounting.[1][2] He holds credentials as both a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor.[2]
Active in professional organizations, Northrup was a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Institute of Internal Auditing.[1] In the community, he served as President of Civic Morning Musicals, described as the oldest presenter of professional musicians in concert in Syracuse.[1]
In 1984, Northrup returned to Boston to teach at Northeastern University.
Libertarian Party
Northrup became active in the Libertarian Party of New York in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1980, he made his first run for public office as the Libertarian candidate for Congress from New York's 32nd District.[1] Running in a five-candidate race, Northrup outpolled Libertarian presidential candidate Ed Clark, who received just under a million votes nationwide and more than 50,000 in New York.[1] The campaign earned Northrup recognition in the Syracuse Post-Standard, which described him as one of "Central New York's brightest young men."[1]
In 1982, Northrup was nominated by the Libertarian Party of New York as its candidate for Governor at the party's state convention in Binghamton on May 1st.[1] He was the only upstate candidate for Governor in that year's race.[1] During the campaign he addressed numerous groups, including a rally of more than 3,000 people on the steps of the State Capitol.[1] He received 16,913 votes statewide in the general election.
Organizational Positions
Libertarian Party of New York
- Positions
- Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, New York 32nd District (1980)
- Nominee for Governor of New York (1982)
Political Campaigns
U.S. House of Representatives, New York's 32nd District, 1980
Northrup ran as the Libertarian candidate for Congress from New York's 32nd District in 1980, making his first bid for public office.[1] Running in a five-way race, he outpolled Libertarian presidential nominee Ed Clark in the district.[1]
Governor of New York, 1982
Northrup was nominated as the Libertarian Party of New York candidate for Governor at the party's state convention in Binghamton on May 1, 1982.[1] He campaigned on a platform of eliminating government-enforced monopolies, removing legal barriers to workforce entry, ending state subsidies and bailouts, supporting civil liberties including reproductive choice, opposing the Westway highway project, introducing competition to mass transit, and establishing procedures for criminals to compensate their victims.[2] He received 16,913 votes statewide in the November 1982 general election.