Bob Kingsbury Republican for State Representative Belknap 4

FREEDOM REQUIRES STRONG LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Laconia, New Hampshire

Most folks who've lived for a while in the Lakes Region have heard of Bob Kingsbury and know that he was a rifleman in the 94th Infantry Division under Gen. George S. Patton Jr. in World War II.

But fewer may know that he has patents for speedboat hulls and that former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover was a fraternity brother. "To Robert P. Kingsbury/Best Wishes" reads a photograph dated March 13, 1948 signed by the G-man and featuring him, Kingsbury and other Alpha Phi Omega brothers from the University of Maryland, where Kingsbury earned a degree in animal husbandry. The letter accompanying the photo was addressed to "Brother Kingsbury" and signed "Fraternally, J. Edgar Hoover." A former marketing supervisor with the B.F. Goodrich Co., Kingsbury later worked in the oil industry promoting a product to treat wastewater. When he stood up for a subordinate one day, Kingsbury was shown the door but word of his deed eventually led to an opportunity in Laconia.

As a resident of the City on the Lakes, Kingsbury has run for elected office 15 times in the past 17 years. Recently, he was the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Congress in the First District, garnering 7,330 votes, or two percent of the statewide total.

"I don't even remember what they are anymore," said Kingsbury, who ran as a Republican for Laconia mayor twice, for both city council and state representatives as many as three times each and for state senate once.

He's a champion of the Constitution and admires Abraham Lincoln, who Kingsbury noted recognized two different sets of checks and balances in the body politic.

There is the well-known balancing act between the judicial, executive and legislative branches, Kingsbury said, but there is also a similar relationship among the local, state and federal governments and "a lot of people don't realize the overwhelming importance the local has."

Kingsbury did not rule out future runs for elected office.