John R. Reilly

John Richard Reilly (June 4, 1928 – October 12, 2008) was an adviser to a number of Democratic Party presidents and presidential candidates.

Reilly was born in Dubuque, Iowa, on June 4, 1928, as the only child of William and Stella Reilly. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in 1952 and was granted a law degree in 1955. After his graduation from law school, Reilly was hired as an attorney working in the antitrust division of the United States Department of Justice. He joined John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign and was hired as an aide by Attorney General of the United States Robert F. Kennedy.

After leaving the FTC in 1967, Reilly became a partner with the Washington, D.C., law firm of Pierson, Ball & Dowd, and was founding partner in 1972 of the Washington, D.C. office of Winston & Strawn LLP, a firm based in Chicago.

Reilly was in charge of the vice presidential search process on behalf of Walter Mondale in the 1984 Presidential election that led to the selection of Geraldine Ferraro as Mondale's running mate.

His wife was Margaret Warner, a senior correspondent for The PBS NewsHour. The two were married in 1986 at a ceremony held in Ogunquit, Maine.

He died of abdominal cancer on October 12, 2008, in Washington, at the age of 80.