John T. "Jack" Connor was United States Secretary of Commerce

United States Secretary of Commerce

The United States Secretary of Commerce is the head of the United States Department of Commerce concerned with business and industry; the Department states its mission to be "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce"...

 from January 18, 1965 to January 31, 1967. Born in Syracuse, New York

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

, John T Connor was a lawyer in New York who in 1942 became a researcher for the Office of Scientific Research and Development which helped to find cures for many diseases and illnesses.

He served in the United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 as an assistant to future Navy secretary James V Forrestal working on penicillin production and procurement issues. He worked in the pharmaceutical industry after World War II, entering politics as the co-chairman of the Johnson-Humphrey Campaign in 1964.

He was awarded with Commerce Secretaryship in 1965 but wielded less influence within the administration than Treasury Secretary Henry H. Fowler

Henry H. Fowler

Henry Hammill Fowler was an American lawyer and politician.Born in Roanoke, Virginia, he graduated from Roanoke College in 1929 and received his law degree from Yale Law School in 1932....

 and Economic Advisor Gardner Ackley

Gardner Ackley

Gardner Ackley also known as H. Gardner Ackley, was an American economist and diplomat.He served as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers under President John F. Kennedy, and as the Chairman under President Lyndon B. Johnson between 1964 and 1968...

. He helped settle an East Coast dock strike in 1965, as well as the General Electric

General Electric

General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...

 employees strike in 1966. In the 1970s he headed the Committee of Business Executives against the Vietnam War, and also served in the Rockefeller Commission

Rockefeller Commission

Rockefeller Commission can refer to either of two commissions in U.S. history, although it is not the proper name of either:* The 1972 President's Commission on Population Growth and the American Future, headed by John D. Rockefeller III. It was created by an Act of Congress, which was signed into...

 to investigate CIA activities.

Connor graduated from Syracuse University

Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

 and Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...

, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi

Phi Kappa Psi

Phi Kappa Psi is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1852. There are over a hundred chapters and colonies at accredited four year colleges and universities throughout the United States. More than 112,000 men have been...

 Fraternity.

Connor died from cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 at the Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...

 in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2000.