John J. Degnan

John J. Degnan
Born	(1944-10-06) October 6, 1944
Occupation(s)	Attorney, public official
Known for	Attorney General of New Jersey (1978–1981), Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (2014–2017), Vice Chairman and COO of The Chubb Corporation

John J. Degnan (born October 6, 1944) held the position of Attorney General of New Jersey between 1978 and 1981. He served as vice chairman and chief operating officer at The Chubb Corporation until his retirement in 2010, and later chaired the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) from 2014 through 2017.

Background

Degnan earned his B.A. degree from Saint Vincent College in 1966, followed by a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1969. He resides with his wife Mary in Chester Township, New Jersey.

Career

Between 1969 and 1971, Degnan worked as law secretary to John J. Francis, an associate justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court. He then joined the law firm Clapp & Eisenberg from 1971 until 1974. Governor Brendan Byrne appointed him assistant counsel in 1974, after which he advanced to executive secretary and special counsel roles under Byrne. At age 33, Degnan was confirmed as Attorney General in 1978, making him one of the youngest individuals to assume that office.

Degnan stepped down as Attorney General in 1981 to pursue the Democratic nomination for Governor, receiving endorsement from Byrne. Nevertheless, he placed fifth in a competitive primary dominated by U.S. Representative James Florio.

Following this, Degnan became senior partner at Shanley & Fisher. In 1990, he transitioned to Chubb & Son as senior vice president and general counsel. He was appointed president of Chubb Corp. in 1996 and subsequently president of Chubb & Son in 1998. By 2002, he held the roles of vice chairman and chief administrative officer and added chief ethics and legal compliance officer responsibilities in 2005. In June 2008, he advanced to vice chairman and chief operating officer before retiring two years later.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

On April 29, 2014, Governor Chris Christie nominated Degnan to replace the embattled David Samson as Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The New Jersey Senate confirmed his appointment to the PA Board of Commissioners, which then elected him Chairman. His full Senate confirmation occurred on July 10, 2014.

During July 2014 Senate hearings, Degnan addressed the controversy surrounding the Fort Lee George Washington Bridge lane closures, declaring that if these closures were politically motivated reprisals rather than justified traffic studies, it would constitute an "outrageous misuse of office." As chairman, he opposed calls for complete dissolution of the PANYNJ, emphasizing that any alterations to its mission should involve legislative approval from both states and their governors.

Degnan endorsed the toll increases implemented in 2011 linked to PANYNJ's capital improvement initiatives but criticized how they were enacted as "terrible" and described commissioners' absence during public hearings as "an insult to the public." He prioritized enhancing agency adherence to sunshine laws and strengthening protections for whistleblowers. Early in his chairmanship, he inspected the outdated and overcrowded Port Authority Bus Terminal, which accommodates approximately 225,000 daily passenger trips predominantly by New Jersey commuters. However, efforts to advance terminal renovation plans remained stalled as of August 2017 due to unresolved disputes over the project's direction.

In 2017, Kevin J. O'Toole succeeded Degnan as Chair of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

External links

|-