John Gilbert Winant OM (February 23, 1889 – November 3, 1947) was an American diplomat and politician with the Republican party after a brief career as a teacher in Concord, New Hampshire.

In 1917, he joined the United States Army Air Service, trained as a pilot, and commanded the 8th Aero Squadron (Observation) in France, with the rank of captain.

He oversaw an emergency credit act which allowed the state to guarantee debts of municipalities so that local governments could continue.

Working closely with the federal government, Winant was the first governor whose state filled its enrollment quota in the Civilian Conservation Corps.

[2][3] Subsequently, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Winant as first head of the Social Security Board in 1935, a position he held until 1937.

"[4]: 4–5  The remark heartened a country that had come through the Battle of Britain and was in the midst of The Blitz, and it was featured dramatically on the front pages of most British newspapers the next day.

[2] Sent to Colditz, he was removed in April 1945 as one of the Prominente to be used as a bargaining chip by Himmler and the SS as the end of the war approached; he was eventually released.

[2] Winant shot himself in the head at his Concord home on November 3, 1947, the day his book Letter from Grosvenor Square was published.

[14] Winston Churchill sent four dozen yellow roses to Winant's funeral, and the British king and queen sent their condolences by telegram.

That having dared to live dangerously, and in believing in the inherent goodness of man, we can stride forward into the unknown with growing confidence.

In what amounted to a eulogy, The New York Times wrote of Winant two days after his death: Here was a man who truly loved mankind and tried all his life to make the lot of his fellow-men better and happier...

When President Roosevelt summoned him to a larger field as head of the Social Security Board, his political opponents called him "a Republican New Dealer.

Initially, American volunteers came to London to help British families rebuild churches and community centers damaged during World War II.

In 1982, The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire established The John G. Winant Fellowship for students interested in working in non-profit or governmental organizations.