John Jay O'Connor III (January 10, 1930 – November 11, 2009) was an American lawyer and the husband of the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

Associate Justice

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (March 26, 1930 – December 1, 2023) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. Nominated by President Ronald Reagan, O' ...

, the first woman to serve on the court. O'Connor, a prominent lawyer in Arizona, suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

during his later life. His illness played a significant role in Sandra Day O'Connor's 2005 decision to retire from the Supreme Court.

Life and career

O'Connor was born on January 10, 1930 in San Francisco, to John Jay O'Connor II and the former Sally Flynn. He was of Irish Catholic descent and attended St. Ignatius High School. He obtained his bachelor's degree from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1951, and later received a law degree, also from Stanford, in 1953. O'Connor met his future wife, Sandra Day, while both were law review editors and students at Stanford Law School. The couple married in 1952. O'Connor served within the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corp following his graduation from law school. He was stationed in Frankfurt, West Germany, from 1954 until 1956. Mrs O'Connor was employed in the

Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of quartermaster corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...

as a civilian lawyer. O'Connor returned to the United States and moved to Phoenix. There he joined the law firm of Fennemore, Craig, von Ammon, McClennen & Udall. Following Sandra Day O'Connor's appointment to the United States Supreme Court by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

, O'Connor moved with his family to Washington, D.C. He continued to practice law with two firms,

Miller & Chevalier Miller & Chevalier is a Washington, D.C. law firm founded in 1920. They have practices in Tax, Employee Benefits (including ERISA), International Law and Business, White Collar and Internal Investigations, Complex Litigation, and Government Affai ...

and

Bryan Cave Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP (BCLP) is an international law firm with 31 offices worldwide. BCLP is headquartered in St Louis, Missouri. BCLP states that it specializes in Real Estate, Tax, Finance, Corporate, Litigation & Corporate Risk and ...

, while living in Washington. O'Connor was diagnosed with Alzheimer's nearly twenty years before his death. His deteriorating health played a significant role in Sandra Day O'Connor's decision to retire from the Supreme Court in 2005. O'Connor died of Alzheimer's disease on November 11, 2009, at a nursing home in Phoenix, aged 79.

References

External links

Los Angeles Times: John J. O'Connor III dies at 79; attorney and husband of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, John Jay 1930 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American lawyers Spouses of Arizona politicians Lawyers from Phoenix, Arizona Lawyers from San Francisco Military personnel from California Stanford University alumni Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Arizona Sandra Day O'Connor St. Ignatius College Preparatory alumni