John McHugh, 89; was police inspector

John P. McHugh, 89, of North Wales, a retired chief inspector for the Philadelphia Police Department and a World War II veteran, died Friday, Jan. 8, of an infection at Abington Hospital-Jefferson Health.

Born to Irish immigrant parents Patrick and Elizabeth McHugh, Mr. McHugh grew up in West Philadelphia and attended St. Thomas More High School.

He joined the Navy at age 17, serving in the South Pacific Theater as a gunner aboard a bomber. He told his family of being in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered to the Allies on Sept. 2, 1945.

In 1950, Mr. McHugh joined the Philadelphia police force, where he served for 32 years before retiring in 1982. He started out as a patrolman and was promoted to patrol sergeant in West Philadelphia.

He climbed the ranks to patrol lieutenant, taught briefly at the Police Academy, and in 1964 was appointed captain and commanding officer of the prestigious Highway Patrol Unit.

"He was very low-key, one of the nicest bosses I worked with in the Police Department," said Thomas J. Gibbons Jr., a retired Inquirer reporter who was part of the Highway Patrol in 1966.

At one point, Mr. McHugh wrote a letter asking the Army to let Gibbons delay his enlistment so that he could perform on a motorcycle in the Thrill Show.

The Army wasn't impressed by the gesture, but Gibbons was. "I always respected McHugh for that. He always looked out for his people," Gibbons said.

When Mr. McHugh was elevated to inspector, he was named commander of the then-new Tactical Division. In 1969, he was promoted to chief inspector. He served as chief of the Command Inspector Bureau and later as chief of the Special Patrol Bureau.

Along the way, he met the Beatles in 1964 when the rock group visited Philadelphia. "He was security for Pope John Paul II" when the pontiff visited the city in 1979, said son Thomas. "He credited John Paul for all his blessings."

Despite his high-profile job, Mr. McHugh always considered himself to be a street cop, his family said.

On retiring, he received accolades from Philadelphia's mayor and City Council, the director of the FBI, the head of the U.S. Secret Service, and former President Ronald Reagan.

Mr. McHugh was a member of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, the Irish Society, and Cape May County Division 1 Ancient Order of Hibernians. He lived in Roxborough and North Cape May before moving to North Wales.

A gifted singer, he met Nancy Murphy when the two performed together on the Will Regan Irish Hours, a radio show broadcast live on WVCH-AM (740) from studios in Brookhaven.

They married in 1951 and continued to sing a repertoire of Irish songs at church halls and hotels.

Besides his wife and son, he is survived by sons John Jr. and Michael; daughter Nancy Fox; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; two brothers; and a sister.

A viewing starting at 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, will be followed by an 11 a.m. Funeral Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 819 E. Cathedral Rd., Philadelphia 19128. Interment is in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Donations may be made to the church at the address above.

bcook@phillynews.com

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