John Thomas Elliff passed away August 15, 2018, in Alexandria, VA at the age of 77. He was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Pekin, Illinois. Elliff graduated Phi Beta Kappa with Bachelors in Political Science from DePauw University where he was a member Phi Kappa Psi. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University. He taught at Barnard College and Brandeis University before joining the Church Committee staff in 1975 as leader of its domestic intelligence task force. He served on the Senate Intelligence Committee staff where he was responsible for FBI oversight and legislative matters including the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act from 1977 to 1992. From 1992 to 2001, he held Defense Department and Intelligence Community policy positions for protection of classified information. He led the implementation of President Bush’s 1993 Executive Order on industrial security and President Clinton’s Executive Order requirements for special access programs. After 9/11, Elliff worked with Senator Leahy’s Judiciary Committee staff on the first USA PATRIOT Act. From 2003 to 2010, he served as a consultant advising the FBI National Security Branch on intelligence and information sharing policy matters.
Dr. Elliff began writing and lecturing on the life and times of Abraham Lincoln in 2009. He served as the secretary, vice president, and president of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia. He helped organize numerous events including the commemoration of the sesquicentennials of the 1st and 2nd Lincoln Inaugurals. His articles and essays on Lincoln have appeared in The Lincoln Forum Bulletin and The Lincolnian. He was a member of the Abraham Lincoln Association Board of Directors and the Lincoln Forum Board of Advisors. He volunteered with the National Park Service as a speaker at Ford’s Theater. In addition, Elliff served on the Board of the Friends of Fort Hunt Park and previously served as a Sunday School teacher and Deacon at First Baptist Church of Alexandria.
Elliff is survived by his beloved wife of 45 years, Linda; his daughter, Melissa Zornitta (Jose) and granddaughters Sofia and Claire of Tampa, FL; and his son, Benjamin Elliff (Maggie Cassidy) and grandson James Thomas of Chicago, IL. He is also survived by his sister Jean Landrum of Flowery Branch, GA, niece Michale and nephew Jeffery. He was preceded in death by infant grandchildren Alexander and Claudia Zornitta.
Visitation will be held at Demaine Funeral Home, 520 South Washington Street, Alexandria, VA from 3-5 PM on Sunday August 19th. On Monday August 20th a visitation will be held at 10 am followed by a memorial service at 11 am at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Lincoln’s church, at 1313 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to the Lincoln Group of District of Columbia at http://lincolngroup.org or the American Civil Liberties Union.
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