John T. Chain Jr.
John T. Chain Jr. | |
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Other work | Member of the Board of Directors, Northrop Grumman Director, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Director, ConAgra Foods, Inc. Director, Kemper Insurance Company Director, James S. Kemper Foundation Member, Council on Foreign Relations Executive Vice President, Burlington Northern Railroad |
John Thomas Chain Jr. (December 11, 1934 – July 7, 2021)
Early life
Chain was born in Wilmington, Delaware, attended high school at Fork Union Military Academy and was a member of Fork Union Chapter of DeMolay International. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1956 and was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters in 1990, both from Denison University. While at Denison University, General Chain was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. In 1971 he graduated from the National War College and concurrently earned a master's degree in international affairs from George Washington University.
Air Force career
John Chain had a wide and varied military career, serving in a number of powerful positions. He accrued over 5,000 flying hours (including 400 combat hours) in more than 45 different military aircraft. He is a
Chain was commissioned as a
In 1966 Chain flew combat missions while assigned to
In 1972 and 1973, Chain flew combat missions in
Chain became the military assistant to the
On July 1, 1985, Chain was promoted to
Civilian career
After his retirement from the Air Force, Chain devoted himself full-time to corporate management. In March 1991 he became executive vice president for Burlington Northern Railroad, a position he held for five years. He was also special assistant to the chairman of that company in 1995 and 1996. In 1996 he became president of Quarterdeck Equity Partners, a subsidiary of Quarterdeck Investment Partners, Inc., a position he held until 2002. Chain became a member of the board of directors of Thomas Group, a management consulting company, in 1995, and was elevated to chairman of the board in 1998. He is also a director of RJ Reynolds, Inc., ConAgra Foods, Inc. and Kemper Insurance Co.. Chain's also serves as a board member of Northrop Grumman, one of the world's largest defense contractors. He gained this position in 1991 and oversaw the company's dramatic growth throughout the 1990s.
John Chain was active in politics, though mostly behind the scenes. He was a
Chain died in his sleep at the age of 86 in July 2021.[3][4]
References
- ^ "Gen. John T.Chain, Jr., USAF (Ret.)". Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "USAF Gen John T Chain Jr – Art prints and originals signed by USAF Gen John T Chain Jr".
- ^ "Tribute to General Jack Chain—An Extraordinary Leader". 21 July 2021.
- ^ "TAPS - June 2021 to September 2021". July 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-03-04. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- Air force biography at the Wayback Machine (archived February 8, 2004)
- John Chain profile from Forbes[dead link]
- Profile from the Center for Public Integrity
- Bush donor profile