John F. McCarthy was the 19th President of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners.​

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John Francis Patrick McCarthy was born in 1918. 

In 1949, he received a Master of Science in Mathematics from Columbia University. 

During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces in Europe and was a navigator on a B-24 bomber. 

His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Purple Heart.  For his service, he also received the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross.  ​

After the war, he served with the New York State Police.  While there, he trained as a questioned document examiner and became Assistant Director of the New York State Crime Laboratory. 

In 1968, he was employed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and retired in 1990 as the Chief Document Examiner.
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Prior to serving as President, Mr. McCarthy served the ASQDE as Secretary-Treasurer, a Director, and the newsletter editor. 

He was a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners and served on the board of that organization. 

He was the author of numerous journal articles and professional papers.

Mr. McCarthy passed away in 2001, and was buried in The National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

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Derived from the article "ASQDE Remembers John F. McCarthy" by Janis M. Winchester in the November 2001 issue of The Society News.