John N. McMahon

John Norman McMahon (born July 3, 1929) is an American intelligence analyst who served as the 15th deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1982 to 1986.

Early life and education

McMahon was born on July 3, 1929, in East Norwalk, Connecticut. His parents were Frederick Francis McMahon and Elizabeth Collins. He had a sister who was a cryptanalyst. After high school, he graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature in 1951. As an undergraduate at Holy Cross, he wrote a senior thesis titled, "The Emotional Conflict of Four of Shakespeare's Tragic Heroines". or 1966. He served as Deputy Director for Operations from January 11, 1978, to April 12, 1981, and later, nominated by US President Ronald Reagan, as Deputy Director of Central Intelligence under Director William J. Casey as of April 27, 1982, succeeding Bobby Ray Inman. Questioning McMahon during his nomination included US Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan (who guided publication of the VENONA papers in the mid-1990s).

On March 4, 1986, McMahon, age 56, resigned and left office on March 26, succeeded by Robert M. Gates. In 1995, McMahon was president and CEO of Lockheed Missiles & Space Co.

In 2004, McMahon was registered as a lobbyist for the Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Post-career In May 2015, 20 ex-CIA officials, including McMahon, signed a letter opposing the decision by The New York Times to publish the names of three undercover officers working for the CIA.

Awards

1995: Distinguished Public Service Medal from NASA

Personal life

On April 15, 1952, McMahon married Margaret Joan Hugger, with whom he had four children: Patricia Joy, Christopher John, Timothy Richard, and Peter Collins.