John Vernon Rainbolt II was born May 24, 1939, in Cordell, Oklahoma to John V. and Mary Alice Power Rainbolt.
He attended the University of Oklahoma where he received his B.A. degree in English before continuing on to obtain his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
He volunteered in the U. S. Army and was trained as an airborne infantryman. Following completion of Officer Candidate School, he was commissioned as a platoon leader in the 3rd Infantry (Old Guard) whose responsibilities include guarding The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He was a 1st Lt.
At the end of his military service, he worked on Capitol Hill as senior staff to former Rep. Graham Purcell (D-TX) before moving on to serve as Chief Counsel to the Committee on Agriculture of the US House of Representatives. While there, he was credited with drafting the "Commodity Futures Trading Act of 1974" legislation which created the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). He was later nominated to the Commission by President Gerald Ford and received Senate confirmation in 1975, serving as Vice Chairman of the CFTC.
It was during his time on Capitol Hill that he met Janice Lee Glaub, whom he married in 1976. The two would eventually move to northern Virginia, where they raised their three children, and he established his private law practice.
He died peacefully September 16, 2022. He was 83 years old.
He is survived by his wife Jan G. Rainbolt of Steubenville, Ohio; his sister Elizabeth C. "Betty" Marshall (Phil) of Tulsa, Oklahoma; and his brother Charles P. Rainbolt (Zonelle) of Cordell, Oklahoma; his children John V. Rainbolt III (Heather) of Falls Church, Virginia; Sara R. Tomlinson (Scott) of Sterling, Virginia; and Charles J. Rainbolt of Naples, Florida; his grandchildren Paige and Alexis Tomlinson of Sterling, Virginia; Jack, Reagan, and Jordan Rainbolt of Falls Church, Virginia; and many beloved nieces and nephews
Graveside: 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 13, 2024
Lawnview Cemetery
Cordell, Oklahoma