John Hart Clinton Jr., publisher of San Mateo Times, dies at 78

“I think he’d want to be known for just being someone who cared. He was a kind, decent man and was loved by his family and had a lot of love to give,” said John Hart Clinton Jr.’s son, John Clinton. “He was a good family man and a good, decent person. He loved San Mateo and San Mateo County and left a pretty big mark there and would want to be remembered for spending his whole life there.”

John Hart Clinton Jr. was born in 1944 into a family legacy of San Mateo County history makers and preservers. His father, J. Hart Clinton, was a notable San Francisco lawyer who, beginning in the late 1930s, ran the San Mateo Times. J. Hart Clinton had married Helen Clinton and therefore into the Amphlett family which had started the publication in 1889.

The publication would remain in the family for more than 100 years before being sold in 1996 after the family took on debt buying an offset press, faced immense estate taxes after the death of J. Hart Clinton and an Amphlett uncle and braced for the looming shifts of the news business with the birth of the 24-hour news cycle and the internet.

John Hart Clinton Jr. would eventually lead the paper during some of its hardest times. Before then, he’d studied at the University of Oregon and returned to help run the paper on the business side with his father at the helm and his sister Mary Jane Clinton Zirkel as lifestyle editor.

John Hart Clinton Jr. spent much of his time at the San Bruno office, said Michelle Carter, a former San Mateo Times managing editor. They’d developed a fond working relationship after she began working for the publication in the ’60s given that they were both about 24 years old and starting out their careers.

About two decades later, Carter would be named the paper’s managing editor, making her one of only a few women to hold the title at the time. Carter credits John Hart Clinton Jr. for helping her secure the role, noting he advocated for her to his father who was still running the publication at the time. John Hart Clinton Jr. assumed the role of publisher soon after.

“It was a really important time for me personally. I’d walked over hot coals to get this job and to have him recognize that I could do it was important,” Carter said. “I got the job, and I will be forever grateful to John for championing my cause.”

Beyond his work at the newspaper, John Hart Clinton Jr. had also worked for nonprofits Caminar and the Peninsula Community Foundation, co-founded the local community bank United American Bank and served on the board of the San Mateo County Historical Association.

Mitch Postel, president and CEO of the Historical Association and a close friend of John Hart Clinton Jr., said the former newspaper publisher played a pivotal role in preserving the Old County Courthouse in Redwood City and moving the county’s History Museum there from the College of San Mateo. He was able to use his reputation as a known and trusted figure in the county to lead the move during what Postel described as a critical moment for the association.

“Telling the story of the current Peninsula was only an ability you had if you knew the past. He realized that and he knew that his family had created an institution in San Mateo County that was very important to the local people,” Postel said. “He wasn’t into the local history thing just because he wanted to be on a board. He was into it because he believed in its importance and knew that his family was a part of that.”

The spiritual family man

John Hart Clinton Jr. was also deeply spiritual, having been raised in the Catholic church, and is said to have lived his life by the quote, “We are all born to help each other. No matter how difficult it is ... . Life is good when you are happy, but much better when others are happy because of you.”

But most importantly to him, according to every source interviewed, John Hart Clinton Jr. was a family man. He met the love of his life, Nina Clinton, in the late 1960s. The couple would go on to have three children together, Allison Rak, John Clinton and Nicole Medina, and to raise their family in San Carlos. Rak, Medina and Clinton shared similar memories of their father, describing him as funny and attentive despite his busy schedule.

Regardless of the day’s demands, he always made it home in time for dinner and often would spend an hour or so before throwing pitches to Medina who played softball growing up. Clinton said he remembers his father standing on the sidelines during his baseball games and driving him to fish, a hobby Clinton said brought his father peaceful moments of solace.

“I always want him to be proud of me, it matters to me still,” Medina said. “Overall, I’m going to remember him by his generosity, his ability to love and his sense of humor and how he loved my mom to death.”

As his children grew up and found their own paths in life, each said they never felt pressured to pursue an interest. Instead, their father took an interest in theirs and, eventually, the interests of their children, reading up on gymnastics or talking about the goings on at Capitol Hill where Rak worked.

“I always felt very proud of him, to have him as a dad,” Rak said. “He was very active and busy and having an impact on the county and I knew that from just the things he would share and say but I never really felt it.”

He had a silly side too. During birthday parties, guests could often find John Hart Clinton Jr. dressed up as a fun character like Swiper from the bilingual children’s show Dora, DJ Cool at his son’s rehearsal wedding dinner or as the Great Clintoni, a magician known for wowing his audience with some fun sleight of hand.

Postel recalls John Hart Clinton Jr. using his magic tricks to entertain volunteers at the History Museum. He’d also take his skills to schools or family parties, said San Carlos Mayor Adam Rak.

Leaving a mark

Adam Rak has been a member of the Clinton family for nearly three decades, having started dating Allison Rak in their early 20s. His father-in-law had always been very supportive and was excited as Rak announced his intent to run for the City Council, Rak said, noting that, while the two didn’t always agree, John Hart Clinton Jr. always listened and taught him the importance of hearing people out.

John Hart Clinton Jr. was described as larger than life but down to earth at the same time, intimidating on first impression but quickly warmed up to show his lighter side. He could disarm anyone with his sense of humor and loved to poke fun. He was the favorite dad in the neighborhood, cherished spending time with his family and was deeply in love with his wife. And he never complained, even up to the very end.

John Hart Clinton Jr. was also deeply community minded, serving as a jail minister with his wife, caring for homeless residents in Half Moon Bay and thinking up policy that would make a lasting effect, his loved ones said.

“John Hart Clinton was aptly named because he was all heart. Most people remember him as the smart, longtime editor and publisher of the San Mateo Times. I knew him as the heart of multiple foundations and nonprofit organizations doing good in San Mateo County,” former U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier said in an email statement. “In recent years I worked with him to reignite a San Mateo-based foundation to meet the needs of our residents. He was a caring, loving man who will be deeply missed by me and many in our county.”

John Hart Clinton Jr. was preceded in death by his two sisters, Mary Jane Clinton Zirkel and Mary Ann Gardner. He’s survived by a loving family including his wife Nina Clinton, three children, Allison Rak, John Clinton and Nicole Medina, and seven grandchildren, Phoebe, Jane and Lydia Rak, Noah, Lucy and Lily Medina and Mia Clinton.

All are welcome to attend a funeral mass being held at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 13, at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Burlingame. Instead of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the San Mateo County Historical Association or the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Sierra Lopez

sierra@smdailyjournal.com