John Joyce Gilligan was Ohio's governor from 1971 to 1975. Gilligan was born on March 22, 1921, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame in 1943, and he then enlisted in the United States Navy, serving for the duration of World War II. Mr. Gilligan was a gunnery officer on the destroyer USS Emmons during D-Day at Normandy and later the USS Rodman where he was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry under fire during the battle of Okinawa. Upon returning to the United States, Gilligan enrolled at the University of Cincinnati, graduating in 1947.
