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Jack Quinn, former White House counsel and powerhouse Washington, DC, lawyer and influencer, passed away Wednesday at the age of 74.
That is the obituary headline of a man who used his wonderful life to make a difference in American politics and public policy.
A New York-born son of a power plant manager and a homemaker who was the first in his family to go to college, Quinn was ambitious and service-minded from the start. It was at the prestigious Georgetown University law school where Quinn got the political bug that led him to Capitol Hill, campaigns and eventually to the White House as President Bill Clinton’s counsel during the turbulent years of the Whitewater investigation.
The powerbroker and top lobbyist in more recent years used his experience and know-how to represent family members of those killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks in lawsuits alleging Saudi Arabia’s culpability.
But the man I had the privilege of knowing was so much more.
Outside of all that, I knew him as a friend; a husband who loved my dear friend Susanna, his wife of 17 years, with all of his heart; and a father who adored his eight children and 12 grandchildren.
John Michael Quinn – “Jack” – was the kind of person who would send a text of encouragement out of the blue, greet you with his giant smile and a twinkle in his eye no matter how he was feeling and was always eager to show love and affection to his large family and friends.
Looking back today at my texts from Jack, it was not uncommon to see “I love you” from him in the thread.
But he was also someone who showed extreme kindness to people he barely knew.
Jack was a CNN legal analyst for several years during the Trump administration, sharing his insights and vast expertise with our viewers on a regular basis.
Elie Honig, now a senior CNN legal analyst, told me that he remembers being very new to television and meeting Jack in the green room.
“I, of course, knew who Jack was, but he’d have no reason to know me aside from my first handful of on-air appearances. I hadn’t even met him in person yet, and he went to the effort of getting my email address and sending me a note welcoming me and saying I was doing a great job. I’ll always remember that gesture,” he told me, while noting that Jack was always “sunny” even when his health issues became more challenging.
Those health issues, a lung disease that eventually took his life, made his CNN appearances harder and harder.
But his impact is indelible.
One of our talented makeup artists remarked to me when learning of Jack’s passing how kind and solicitous he always was – no matter the time or the circumstance, which is not always the case in the stressful and unpredictable world of cable news.
Jack’s youngest son, Storm, and my son are about a year apart and became friends as babies. Watching Jack interact with his miracle boy was something to behold – the amount of love knew no bounds – nevermind that his DNA is so strong that Storm, much like Jack’s other children, resembles him so much that it was almost eerie.
The mark that Jack made on this world is far greater than his titles, far deeper than his jobs and far more impressive than his political influence.
He was a man of character, compassion and good humor, and I am one of countless people who feel blessed to have had him in my life.
May his memory be a blessing.
