[3] He was the youngest of four children born to Joseph Wright Alsop IV (1876–1953)[4] and Corinne Douglas Robinson (1886–1971), both of whom also served in the Connecticut General Assembly.

"[9][10] At the end of the 1949 legislative session, he also helped push through three desegregation bills submitted by the Connecticut NAACP that outlawed racial discrimination in public accommodations, public-housing projects, and the National Guard.

[16] He attempted again in 1962, this time winning the nomination over Edwin H. May Jr. on the eighth ballot at the party convention after a deadlock of more than ten hours.

[18][19] While he did not seek the nomination again or hold public office, he continued to be involved in the party and represented Connecticut on the Republican National Committee from 1968 until 1984.

[1] On June 19, 1947,[20] Alsop was married to Augusta McLane "Gussie" Robinson (1924–2015) at Trinity Episcopal Church in Hartford, Connecticut.

[21] Gussie attended Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut and served as a Red Cross nurses' aide during World War II.

[1] Together, John and Augusta were the parents of four children, three of whom lived to maturity, a son and two daughters:[22] Alsop died on April 6, 2000, at a health care center in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.