John A. Canning Jr. is a private equity investor and sports executive.

He is the founder and chairman of Madison Dearborn Partners, the large Chicago-based private equity firm.

Prior to founding Madison Dearborn, Canning and his team had previously made private equity investments for First Chicago Corporation.

Canning also serves as a commissioner of the Irish Pension Reserve Fund, a trustee and chairman of The Chicago Community Trust as well as a director and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

[5] John Canning Jr. was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State’s highest honor) by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn in 2014 in the area of Business & Industry.