Prime Minister, parliamentarian, mayor, trade unionist, teacher, sportsman. Born in Roseau 7 January 1938. Educated at the Roseau Boys School and the St. Mary's Academy where he later taught for four years. Worked as a shipping clerk at H.H.V. Whitchurch & Co. before leaving to organize the Waterfront and Allied Workers Union (WAWU). Elected to the Roseau Town Council and served as Mayor from 1965. In 1970 contested the general elections as a member of the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) and won the Roseau seat, serving in the Le Blanc government at different times as Minister of Communications and Works, Home Affairs, Agriculture and Finance. In 1974 took over the leadership of the DLP from Edward Le Blanc and prepared the party with a new younger look for the general elections of 1975. This he won with a landslide, the DLP capturing 16 of the 21 seats in the House of Assembly. He became Premier and in the following year at Salisbury issued the Salisbury Declaration, preparing Dominica for negotiations towards full independence. This was achieved on 3 November 1978 and John became the first Prime Minister.

He was bestowed with Venezuela's highest honour, The Order of Francisco de Miranda. He obtained a correspondence doctorate in Metaphysics. The 1970s were however wracked with serious political upheavals covering John's entire period of office: strikes, pay rise demands by the Civil Service Association (CSA), states of emergency, the "Dread Period", the rise of the Dominica Defence Force (DDF) of which John declared himself Colonel, and clashes with the opposition Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), particularly with its leader Eugenia Charles and with Dominica Liberation Movement Alliance activists as well as sections of his own party led by Michael Douglas.His close association with President Forbes Burnham of Guyana was much criticized.

In 1979, heavily influenced by the Attorney General Leo Austin, the DLP engaged in deals and took legislative action that stirred up the population in violent response. On 29 May 1979 demonstrators outside the House of Assembly were shot at by the DDF, several were injured and one youth was killed. Representatives of civil society gathered under the leadership of the Committee for National Salvation (CNS) and called for the resignation of the government. John and Finance Minister Victor Riviere did not resign, but other members did, shifting the balance of power that resulted in a new "interim government" headed by Prime Minister Oliver Seraphin.

In the general elections of 1980 John lost his seat in the Assembly and disaffected DDF members, former DLP supporters, aided by a group of Dreads near Giraudel and foreign mercenaries sought to overthrow the duly elected (DFP) government led by Eugenia Charles. The attempts at a coup d'état were discovered, thwarted, and the plotters both in Dominica and the US were exposed. Under emergency powers, John and others were arrested. In court cases, which followed the trial judge found that John had no case to answer and he was released, but the State appealed and the Court of Appeal ordered a new trial to take place. In October 1985 John was found guilty and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for conspiring to overthrow the government. After several appeals from various persons to Eugenia Charles for leniency, he was released on 29 May 1990. He resumed a role in public life particularly in sports, becoming President of the Dominica Football Association and serving as warden of the St. George's Anglican Church.