Born in Buncrana, County Donegal to a nationalist, middle-class business family, MacLoughlin was educated at St Columb's College, Derry and University College Dublin.
[1] His business interests included media publishing.
[1] He was a member of the Free State Seanad Éireann from 1922 to 1936.
He joined Cumann na nGaedheal in 1931.
He was elected to the 2nd Seanad in 1938 on the Industrial and Commercial Panel as a Fine Gael member.