Public Servant
Throughout his adult life, John has performed public service with the same enthusiasm he has brought to winemaking, philanthropy and the arts. Before entering the business world, John served in the United States Air Force. While working full time in his family’s financial firm in 1973, John played a role in New York State and national political affairs. After flirting with the idea of running for Comptroller of the State of New York, John accepted Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s invitation to serve in an office John himself envisioned: environmental advisor to the governor. In 1981, president Ronald Reagan appointed John the United States Ambassador to Denmark. On completing his ambassadorial duties, John served as a delegate at large in the United States Delegation to the United Nations.
Military Service
On graduating from Harvard Business School in 1954, John entered the United States Air Force as a second lieutenant during the Korean War. After two months of training, he was assigned to monitor production costs at the Douglas Aircraft factory in Santa Monica, California. While there, John ruffled feathers by discovering cost overruns through the misuse of overtime (today he’d have earned the distinguished title of whistleblower). The company and John’s military peers were unhappy with his findings and he was scheduled for winter exile to an Air Force base in frigid Wyoming. But the Air Force general in charge of procurement overrode those orders and John remained at Douglas. The system he devised for managing overtime at military contractors would save the US taxpayers millions of dollars.
Politics
After leaving Loeb, Rhoades in 1973, John responded to his inborn call to perform public service grounded in his Lehman and Moses roots. While working full time in his family’s financial firm in 1973, John played a role in New York State and national political affairs. After flirting with the idea of running for Comptroller of the State of New York, John accepted Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s invitation to serve in an office John himself envisioned: environmental advisor to the governor. In 1981, president Ronald Reagan appointed John the United States Ambassador to Denmark. On completing his ambassadorial duties, John served as a delegate at large in the United States Delegation to the United Nations. He was an Alternate Delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1988 and a Delegate in 1992.
Environmentalist
John served as special advisor to Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller on environmental matters from 1967 to 1973 and chairman of New York State Council of Environmental Advisors from 1970 to 1975. In those capacities, he participated in the United Nations Conference on the Environment (June, 1972) and was Chairman of the Keep New York State Clean Program from 1971 to 1975.
Ambassador
On July 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed John to the post of United States Ambassador to Denmark. He served in this post until September 1983. He was particularly effective at convincing the Danish public of the importance of supporting NATO against the Soviet threat to western Europe and to reconsidering their view of Ronald Reagan as an aggressive Cold Warrior. Upon leaving, Margrethe II of Denmark awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog. She also bestowed a Danish crest and coat-of-arms on him.
UN Delegate
On his return from Denmark, President Ronald Reagan appointed John a Public Delegate in the United States delegation to the United Nations. John was particularly proud to serve there as his mother had for 12 years been New York City Commissioner to the United Nations and Consular Corps, helping more than 6,000 diplomats navigate the challenge of finding housing, schools and other resources when they arrived in the city.
