John Porter East (May 5, 1931 – June 29, 1986) was an American Republican politician who served as a U.S. senator from the state of North Carolina from 1981 until his suicide in 1986.

In 1966, East ran unsuccessfully for a vacancy in the United States House of Representatives in a special election, a race won by Walter B. Jones Sr.

Alongside Jesse Helms, East led opposition to the bill to create a federal holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. in 1983.

The committee is notable for its accusations of Soviet infiltration of left-wing think tanks, publications and activist groups such as the Institute for Policy Studies and the magazine Mother Jones.

[3][4] East's primary national security staffer on the committee, Samuel T. Francis, later a prominent columnist for The Washington Times, has been cited as an intellectual fore-bearer of the alt-right movement.

[8] North Carolina Governor James G. Martin appointed U.S. Representative Jim Broyhill to serve out the rest of East's term.