John C. "Jack" Lawn was Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from 26 July 1985 to 23 March 1990, succeeding Francis M. Mullen and preceding Robert C. Bonner.
Biography[]
John C. Lawn worked for the FBI as a special agent for 15 years and led the San Antonio field office from 1980 to 1982; in this post, he investigated the assassination of Judge John H. Wood Jr.. He also looked into police brutality, color of law complaints, civil rights cases, and investigated government officials, and he transferred to the Drug Enforcement Agency in 1985 to become its administrator. As DEA administrator, he coordinated the United States' involvement in Mexico with the Mexican government, attempting to maintain the balance of power between the powerful drug cartels. In 1990, he left the DEA, and he served as chief of operation for the New York Yankees from 1990 to 1994 before working with drug law enforcement, drug abuse prevention, and drug treatment.