John Rogers Whitmore

John Rogers Whitmore of Washington, DC, passed away peacefully on August 9, 2023 at the age of 89. John was born on November 19, 1933 in Columbia, Missouri to Catherine and Rogers Whitmore. John earned his Bachelors and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Missouri. From 1955 - 1957, John served as an officer in the United States Navy attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Following his military service, John moved to Chicago, IL where he began his business career in the trust department of the Continental Illinois Bank of Illinois, and met and married his wife, Suzanne. In 1967, he moved with his family to Washington, DC where he worked for American Security Bank and Trust Company.

In 1975, John was recruited by the Bessemer Trust Company in New York City, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer until his retirement in 2000. During his career, he was also a Director of the Bessemer Securities Corporation, Old Westbury Funds Inc., Chevy Chase Bank, F.S.B., Saul Centers, Inc., the B.F. Saul Real Estate Investment Trust, and Compagnie Europeenne De Representation Financiere (CEREPFI) in Paris, France. John was a member of the Bar Associations of the states of Missouri and Illinois, the city of Chicago, and Washington, DC. In 2006, he was admitted as an attorney and counsel of the Supreme Court of the United States.

John was actively involved in many charitable organizations and served on the Board of the Kennedy Center, the Washington National Symphony, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Robert Wood Johnson Memorial Foundation, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, the Grand Teton Music Festival, and the George Washington Fredericksburg Foundation.

He was also passionate about education and served on the board of Greenwich Academy in Greenwich, CT and Washington College in Chestertown, MD.

John is survived by his wife of 57 years, Suzanne Whitmore, his daughters, Elizabeth Whitmore (David Drake) and Margaret Lane (Jeffrey Lane), granddaughter, Elizabeth Lane, and grandson, Griffin Lane.

Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the John R. Whitmore Faculty Research Fellowship at the University of Missouri Law School Foundation or to the St. John’s Church Lafayette Square Bell Tower Fund.

A celebration of John Whitmore’s life will be held at St. John’s Church Lafayette Square in Washington, DC on September 14, 2023 at 10:30am with a reception immediately following the service.