John Francis Sandner (November 3, 1941March 11, 2021) was an American business executive and community leader. He served three stints as the chairman of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), now the CME Group, in the 1980s and 1990s. Early life Sandner was born in South Side, Chicago, on November 3, 1941. His family, who were Irish American, were of a modest background and resided in a three-room apartment. His father worked as a shoe salesman, while his mother was employed at a variety store. Sandner attended Chicago Vocational High School for one year before dropping out. He consequently took up boxing under the guidance of Tony Zale. He finished his amateur career with a 58–2 record and a Golden Gloves title. He ultimately went back to school at Leo Catholic High School, graduating as class valedictorian. Sandner was awarded a scholarship to study psychology at Southern Illinois University, earning a Bachelor of Arts from that institution. He went on to obtain a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame. There, he received the law school's Dean's Award and won the three-year Appellate Advocacy competition. He earned a fellowship to the Law Science Academy, where he won the Dr. Ruth Jackson Award, graduating with high honors. Sandner was called to the Illinois Bar in 1968 and was subsequently admitted to several courts, including the United States Supreme Court. Business career Sandner borrowed $80,000 to purchase a seat on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) in 1971. He traded during his lunch breaks and performed respectably so that he became a member and full-time trader at the Exchange four years later. He consequently established his own trading firm, and was elected to the board of the CME in 1977. He went on to become its chairman in 1980, becoming the youngest ever elected to the position and the first to serve multiple terms. Sandner served as chairman throughout the 1980s and 1990s. During his tenure, exchanges in Chicago were blamed for aggravating the stock market crash in 1987, a claim which Sandner dismissed during his testimony before Congress. Moreover, 46 CME and Chicago Board of Trade traders were charged with racketeering, fraud, and lying to undercover federal agents in the late 1980s. Although he contended that more corruption existed at a hot dog stand, he conceded that "it was a real, real bad period". Both he and Leo Melamed were credited with