Maguire was an advisor on political and security affairs in the United States Department of State from 1966–1969, and a member of the United States Delegation to the United Nations General Assembly. He was director of the Urban Development Program for Jamaica, Queens, New York from 1969–1972, and a consultant in the National Affairs Division of the Ford Foundation from 1972-1974. Maguire was elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-fourth, Ninety-fifth and Ninety-sixth Congresses, serving in office from January 3, 1975-January 3, 1981. In his first election to Congress in a Republican district, he defeated William B. Widnall - one of the most senior members in the House. Maguire served on the Health and Environment, Energy, and Oversight subcommittees of the House Commerce Committee and helped found the New Members’ Caucus. In Congress, he worked on:
Health and mental health policy, including occupational safety and health and expanded health programs for children and youth
Environmental policy, including the Clean Air Act and control of toxic waste; and authored what became known as the Maguire Amendments to the National Cancer Act
Energy policy, including supply and pricing of fossil fuels, nuclear, solar and other energy resources; and energy conservation including auto mileage efficiency standards and renewable resources initiatives
Foreign policy issues including arms control, democracy initiatives, and trade
Banking and securities laws and regulation
Congressional ethics reform
Increasing citizen participation in his congressional district by holding regular issue forums focused on a wide range of public policy concerns
In 1980, Maguire was defeated by Republican challenger Marge Roukema and in 1982 ran as a candidate for nomination to the United States Senate, falling short by 11,788 votes and placing second to Frank Lautenberg in the 10-candidate New Jersey Democratic primary election. He was a Fellow at the Institute of Politics, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in 1983; Vice President for Policy, World Resources Institute from 1984 to 1987; Chief Executive Officer, North American Securities Administrators Association from 1987 to 1989; and President, EnterpriseWorks Worldwide from 1990-2002. Described by the Washington Business Journal as a "...Peace Corps with a business plan," EnterpriseWorks assists small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs throughout the developing world increase incomes and create jobs with self-help business development services that include productivity and marketing improvements. As an independent consultant from 2003-2006, he advised corporate and public sector clients on domestic and international business development, job creation, and marketing initiatives. Maguire served as Executive Director of The GAVI Fund's "Immunize Every Child Campaign" from 2007-2009 . In that role, he helped advance the global alliance’s goal to ensure that "every child everywhere" is immunized against life-threatening diseases with a focus on the world's 75 poorest countries. From 2009-2010, he was Senior Advisor for Clean Air-Cool Planet where he designed and managed a bi-partisan national initiative on market-based emissions reduction strategies. As Vice President for Health at the Environmental Defense Fund, he concentrated on corporate and Congressional initiatives to protect the health of consumers from hazardous materials in household and personal care products used every day. In 2012, Maguire was approached by local Democratic Party leadership in New Jersey’s 5th congressional district about challenging GOP incumbent Scott Garrett in 2014. According to NewJersey.com, Maguire has “expressed interest in taking on Garrett” and has returned to his hometown of Ridgewood.
Personal life
Maguire is married to Adele De Marco, a speech-language pathologist. He has four children, two step-children, and two grandchildren.
Publications
His publications include Bordering on Trouble: Resources and Politics in Latin America ; Toward Uhuru in Tanzania: The Politics of Participation ; contributions to journals and edited volumes; and articles, speeches, testimony, and opinion pieces on issues of public policy.
