He attended college while in the Air Force and, after nine years of night school, Quinn earned a B.A.
He began a Ph.D. at George Washington University but ended his studies when his wife developed cancer, leaving the Air Force during her surgery, from which she recovered fully.
He moved to Maine with his wife and their four children, and taught at Cheverus High School in Portland, during which time he was elected to the Gorham Town Council.
He advocated for the return of the straight ticket device, which was removed in 1972 in Maine, to ensure party loyalty.
[2] In April 2011, Quinn published an op-ed in the Portland Press Herald criticizing 2010 independent candidate for Governor Eliot Cutler with helping to elect Republican governor Paul LePage, calling Cutler "a distraction and a danger".