John E. McGovern III

John E. McGovern, III

Lake Forest - John died unexpectedly Friday, July 13th at his home of a suspected heart condition at the age of 48. He is survived by his beloved wife, of 7 years, Wentworth Caldwell McGovern and their two young boys, Caldwell Armour McGovern (4) and Watson Greeley McGovern (2). He is also survived by his mother Karen Osborne McGovern of Lake Forest, Illinois and his sister, Courtney Osborne McGovern of Chicago, Illinois. In addition, he is survived by his in-laws, native Nashvillian's Wentworth and Barry Caldwell as well as, three sisters-in-law: Ashley Caldwell Levi (Joe), Barry Caldwell, Liza Caldwell Coleman (Greg) and numerous nieces and nephews. John is preceded in death by his father, John E. McGovern, Jr. ("Jack").

John, known affectionately as "Johnny" to close friends and family, was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Lake Forest Country Day School before boarding at Deerfield Academy. In 1991, Johnny graduated with honors in American History from Princeton University where he was a member of the Ivy Club as well as Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Johnny would go onto to earn his J.D. from the Northwestern University School Pritzker of Law and was admitted to the Illinois Bar.

Johnny worked at the highest levels of politics and government, serving as a top aide to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for over seven years, in addition to running a national political action committee, Keep Our Majority PAC, where he served as Executive Director.

Johnny held leadership roles in a number of key federal campaigns, he was a Senior Advisor to US Representative Bob Dold from 2010 - 2012, Campaign Manager for U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk's in 2000, and Communication Director for Peter Fitzgerald's in 1998. Prior to his campaign work, Johnny served as Press Secretary for the Illinois Republican Party from 1994 to 1998. In other key roles, he organized and directed all planning, programming, and fundraising for the Illinois Delegation to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul (2008) and attended every Republican convention since 1996. Early in his career, the Chicago Sun-Times recognized him as one of "30 Under 30" leading professionals in the Chicago area for his success in politics and public affairs.

After his work with politicians, Johnny spent seven years at Resolute Consulting, LLC, and as principal in Thurston Group, managing strategic initiatives for the private-equity firm.

Outside of his professional career, Johnny was a leader for several civic and charitable organizations. He served on the Corporate Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago and was currently serving as Vice President of the Auxiliary Board of the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition, Johnny was a devoted member of the Elawa Farm Foundation and served as a long-time member of the Illinois Government Affairs Group, on the Board of the Rush Medical Center Associates and the President's Leadership Council at the Field Museum.

A true Chicagoan, Johnny loved the city as evidenced by his support of the Arts, Culture and Community in Chicago as well as his passionate support for Chicago sports teams - in particular, the Cubs and Blackhawks. Johnny could be found on the 3rd base line cheering on his team and flagging down the beerman. He was an avid reader, devouring historical biographies; a weekend golfer who enjoyed the tradition and camaraderie of the game and a fierce bridge player. His greatest reward was the role of devoted husband to his wife Wentworth and father to their sons Caldwell and Watson.