Typed letter on a United States Senate letterhead from 1981 signed in blue felt tip ink by John P. East. In excellent condition. John Porter East (May 5, 1931 – June 29, 1986) was a Republican U.S. senator from the state of North Carolina from 1981 until his suicide in 1986. A paraplegic since 1955 because of polio, East was a professor of political science at East Carolina University in Greenville.