John P. Keegan

Born in Kearny and a lifetime resident of Rumson, John Keegan (“Keegs”) is a true bred “New Jersey Guy.”  He attended St. Stephan’s Grammar School in Kearny, Seton Hall Prep, University of Notre Dame, Georgetown Law School and was an Administrative Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

 

Since its inception, he has always been a big supporter of the New Jersey Hall of Fame as a member of its Board and Chairman Emeritus. He says always “The New Jersey Hall of Fame is a testament to the great spirit, ingenuity and creativity of New Jersey.”

 

A practicing lawyer in New York and New Jersey for approximately fifty (50) years, he specialized in corporate law, defense litigation and estate planning. While practicing, he always enjoyed the highest Martindale Hubbell AV rating.

 

During his career, he was always with his bride, Diane, who passed away five

years ago after fifty- five years of marriage and to whom he owes so much as a friend, mother of their five children and grandmother of sixteen grandchildren.

 

In addition to being a Eucharistic Minister and a Minister of the Word in the Catholic Church, he was admitted thirty (30) years ago as a Knight of Malta to further serve the poor and sick.

 

Approximately fifty (50) years ago, having served as outside counsel and Vice President, he was elected President, CEO and Chairman of the Charles Edison Fund, Thomas Edison’s family foundation. Its main mission is to promote educational programs, historic preservation and medical research. Today, he serves in the same capacity of its sister foundation, the Edison Innovation Foundation.

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Having always had a bent for education, he helped develop Edison Awards in science and technology, a Pitch Contest for young entrepreneurs (grades 4through 12) to promote new products to be used in commerce to help improvethe qualitative life of people. Very Edisonlike.

 

Further, during the past thirty (30) years with the Edison Foundations, he helped develop STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education programs throughout the United States at the grammar, secondary, college and graduate school levels, reflecting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, all of which contribute through technology to make new processes and products. Condoleezza Rice added an “A” for Art to make it “STEAM” all of which is consistent with the New Jersey Hall of Fame Education and Learning Center (“ELC”).

  

As a former Chair and current member of the Notre Dame Graduate Studies and Research Board for thirty-three (33) years, he continued his educational experience to improve the Graduate School at his Alma Mater with emphasis on research and development, a world-wide process created by Thomas Alva Edison, enabling him to be designated by Time Magazine as the “Man of the Millennium.”

 

As a retired Captain in the United States Army (received the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service during his assignment on the Korean DMZ), he has always been a big supporter of the military as were Thomas Edison and Charles Edison, the former who served as founder of the Naval Research Board in Virginia and the latter as Secretary of the Navy. Recently, a few weeks back at the Earle Naval Base, he addressed approximately 500 Naval Personnel about the Edison Navy connection at the commissioning of the New Jersey nuclear attack submarine with the Battleship New Jersey as its sister vessel imprinted on its logo.

 

This past November 11, 2024, Veterans Day, on board the Battleship New Jersey, standing tall on the Camden side of the Delaware, he gave the keynote speech honoring Thomas Edison for his contribution to the Naval Research Center in Virginia and Charles Edison’s contributions as Secretary of the Navy and Governor of New Jersey all in the spirit of veterans and those who champion “fire power for freedom” and service to our great country.

 

John Keegan lives in the spirit of  Thomas Edison’s most famous quote “There is a better way to do it, find it.”