John Harwood, a beloved colleague who practiced at the firm from 1974 until his retirement in 2009, died on September 24, 2019, of pancreatic cancer.

John graduated from Harvard College in 1967. He then enlisted in the Marines and saw combat as a First Lieutenant in Vietnam. After military service, John entered Columbia Law School, from which he graduated in 1973.

After a year at the Institute for Public Representation, at Georgetown, John joined Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in 1974 and became a partner in 1981. He practiced in the Communications Group, joining Roger Wollenberg, Joel Rosenbloom, Dan Marcus and others in what was by common recognition one of the very best telecommunications practices in the country, and whose clients over time included CBS, Capital Cities/ABC, IBM, Comsat, Qwest, SBS, Verizon and the United States Telecom Association. John also followed Bill Lake as partner-in-charge of the firm’s Brussels office, where he and his family spent several years.

John handled client matters before the Federal Communications Commission and federal courts of appeals, principally the DC Circuit. John brought to his clients a wonderful combination of high energy, superb craftsmanship and a dogged unwillingness to submit a motion or brief until he had worked it to as near to perfection as he thought possible. He was as tough a self-editor as he was an editor of others.

For those who had the privilege of working with him, John embodied what it meant to be a partner: He was unfailingly collegial, dedicated and good-spirited, and he cared deeply about the well-being of his colleagues and the firm. The amalgam of superb lawyer and good person is not as common as it no doubt should be. John Harwood brought those qualities to everything and everyone he touched.

John combined genuine compassion and caring for others with a deep interest in history and a piercing sense of humor. He is survived by his wife, Corbin; their two children, Claire and Tim; Tim’s wife, Laura; and granddaughter, Emma.