John Sears (political strategist) facts for kids

John Patrick Sears (born July 3, 1940 – died March 26, 2020) was an American lawyer and a Republican political expert. He worked as a special legal helper for President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1970. He also helped both Nixon and Ronald Reagan with their campaigns to become president.

Early Life and Education

John Sears was born in July 1940 near Syracuse, New York. His parents were James L. Sears and Helen M. Fitzgerald.

John went to Christian Brothers Academy, a private Catholic school in Syracuse. He earned his first college degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1960. Later, he finished law school at Georgetown University in 1963. Both of these universities are well-known Catholic colleges in the United States.

Starting His Career

Working in Law

From 1963 to 1965, John Sears worked as a law clerk. This means he helped judges with their legal research and writing for the New York State Court of Appeals.

After that, he joined a law firm in New York City called Nixon, Mudge, Rose, Alexander, Guthrie & Mitchell. A law firm is a business where lawyers work together. He met Richard Nixon there, who was a lawyer at the time. Nixon had been a congressman, senator, and vice-president before.

Becoming a Political Helper

John Sears then joined Nixon's political team. Nixon was getting ready to try and become the Republican candidate for president in 1968.

Sears played a very important part at the 1968 Republican National Convention. This is where political parties choose their candidate for president. He helped Nixon get the nomination to run for president. John was only 28 years old at the time.

Helping President Nixon

From 1969 to 1970, John Sears worked as a Deputy Counsel to President Nixon. This means he was a senior legal advisor to the President.

Returning to Private Work

After working at the White House, Sears joined another law firm called Gadsby & Hannah in Washington, DC. He worked there from 1970 to 1976. Since 1977, he was a partner in the Washington law firm of Baskin and Sears.

Managing Reagan's Campaigns

John Sears managed Ronald Reagan's campaign for president in 1976. Reagan ran against the president at the time, Gerald Ford, in the Republican primary elections. A primary election is how a party chooses its candidate. Reagan almost won the nomination that year.

Sears managed Reagan's presidential campaign again in 1980. However, he was let go and replaced by William J. Casey on the day Reagan won the New Hampshire primary. Some people on Reagan's team in California did not trust Sears. They thought he was trying to gain too much control over the campaign.

Reagan himself once said that it felt like he was "just kind of a spokesman for John Sears." Sears was trying to take more control of the campaign in 1980, which led to his firing. After this, Sears told an author in 2006 that he never spoke with Ronald or Nancy Reagan again.

Working as a Lobbyist

In the 1980s, John Sears worked as a lobbyist for the government of South Africa. A lobbyist tries to influence government decisions. At that time, South Africa had a very controversial system of government. Sears was one of the highest-paid American lobbyists for them.

Later Life

Sears also worked as a political expert for the popular TV show NBC Today from 1984 to 1985. He lived in McLean, Virginia. John Sears passed away in Miami on March 26, 2020, from a heart attack.