John was born in Ohio and came to Princeton from Deerfield Academy. At Princeton he majored in the Woodrow Wilson School and wrote a thesis on presidential campaign funds. He was a member of Prospect Club and chairman of The Daily Princetonian.

After Princeton he went to the Harvard Law School and graduated cum laude three years later. He joined the New York City law firm of Davis, Polk, & Wardwell after law school and remained with them until retirement, specializing in taxation. He became a partner in 1967 and senior counsel in 1997.

John also served as outside tax counsel to J.P. Morgan from 1975 to 1996, and in 1992 he chaired the tax section of the New York State Bar Association. John was active in the Bronxville Reformed Church and helped organize a program to enable Bronxville seniors to remain in their homes. After retirement he contributed a column to the local paper and wrote five books about American history.

John died Dec. 26, 2016. Emily McKnight Corry, his wife of 53 years, died earlier in 2016. They are survived by their daughter, Anne McKnight Corry.

Undergraduate Class of 1953