[1] He was the father of Kathleen Sebelius, who later served as governor of Kansas and United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.

[3] He graduated from St. Xavier High School in 1939, the University of Notre Dame in 1943 and the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1947, serving in between in the United States Navy during World War II in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean as a destroyer gunnery officer.

Gilligan won election for governor of Ohio in 1970, defeating Republican state Auditor Roger Cloud, and serving from 1971 to 1975.

[6] Gilligan subsequently served as the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from 1977 to 1979.

[citation needed] On October 17, 1973, Gilligan, while governor, claimed to have seen a UFO while driving near Ann Arbor, Michigan.

"[7][8] Gilligan is the father of four children, including Kathleen Sebelius, who served as Governor of Kansas and United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.