John was born in Boston and came to Princeton from Phillips Academy. He was president of Ivy Club, served on the staff of The Tiger, and wrote his thesis on Joseph Conrad.
After graduation, he spent two years in the Marine Corps as an infantry platoon leader in Korea and California, a year in law school, and then five years with the National Sugar Refining Co. in New York and New Orleans. Becoming interested in sub-Saharan Africa, John received a fellowship from the Institute for Current World Affairs that took him to East Africa for two years and then to the Ford Foundation as a program officer in its Middle East and Africa division.
Returning to academia in 1968, John earned a doctorate at Columbia and moved into the history department at Middlebury College, where he quickly became professor of African history, chairman of the history department, and dean of the college. He published many articles and two books, one titled Kenya African Union, which the American Historical Review noted will remain the standard account of early nationalistic politics in Kenya for some time.
John died Dec. 30, 2016, and is survived by Natalie; his wife of 46 years; two sons; a daughter; two stepchildren; and seven grandchildren.