The late Judge John W. Cooley was a Magistrate Judge of the United States District for the Northern District of Illinois from 1979 to 1981.

Judge Cooley obtained his high school diploma from the Christian Brothers Academy in 1961. He then attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1965. He eventually attained the rank of Captain and was appointed to march at the funerals of President John F. Kennedy and General Douglas McArthur. While in the military, Judge Cooley fought in the Vietnam War and was awarded the Bronze Star in 1967. Judge Cooley later graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1975.

Judge Cooley became a litigation partner at the Chicago law firm, Stone McGuire & Benjamin. He was then a Senior Staff Attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He went on to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney and eventually United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Judge Cooley was a former chair of the Mediation Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute. He was also active in the Chicago Center for Conflict Resolutions since its inception in 1979. Judge Cooley was also a mediator at the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services. Judge Cooley spent time as a faculty member at Northwestern University and Loyola University Law Schools. Judge Cooley was a member of the Board of Trustees at the Vandercook School of Music in Chicago and the founding member of the band, the Jazz Campers.