Representative John Joseph Eagan

John Joseph Cavanaugh III (born August 1, 1945) is an American politician and lawyer from Nebraska who served in both the Nebraska Legislature and the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district in Congress from 1977 to 1981 and, since the death of Brad Ashford in 2022, has been the only living Democrat in Nebraska to have been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Cavanaugh was born in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, and was raised in a Catholic family. He attended Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, graduating in 1963. He went on to Regis College in Denver, Colorado, where he completed his undergraduate studies in 1967. After college, he served in the United States Army from 1968 to 1970 during the Vietnam War era. Following his military service, he returned to Omaha and enrolled at Creighton University School of Law, from which he received his law degree in 1972.

Admitted to the bar in 1972, Cavanaugh established a law practice in Omaha. That same year he entered elective politics, winning a seat in the unicameral Nebraska Legislature from the ninth district. He served in the Nebraska Legislature from 1972 until 1976, participating in state-level lawmaking during a period of political and economic change in Nebraska. His legislative service helped build his reputation as a Democratic leader in a predominantly Republican state and laid the groundwork for his subsequent bid for national office.

In 1976, Cavanaugh was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat from Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district. He took his seat in the Ninety-fifth Congress on January 3, 1977. He was reelected in 1978 and served in the Ninety-sixth Congress, holding office continuously from January 3, 1977, to January 3, 1981. During his two terms in Congress, Cavanaugh contributed to the legislative process and represented the interests of his Omaha-area constituents at a time marked by economic challenges and shifting national priorities. In the 1978 election he defeated Republican Hal Daub, who would later succeed him in the seat after Cavanaugh chose not to seek reelection in 1980.

After leaving Congress in January 1981, Cavanaugh returned to Omaha and resumed the practice of law. He continued to be active in Democratic Party politics and public affairs. He served as a delegate from Nebraska to the Democratic National Conventions of 1980, 2000, and 2004, reflecting his ongoing engagement with national party politics over several decades. In later years he also became a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One, a bipartisan group of former elected officials focused on political and campaign finance reform.

Cavanaugh’s personal life has remained closely tied to Nebraska and to public service. A practicing Catholic, he is the father of eight children, several of whom have followed him into politics. Two of his children, John Cavanaugh Jr. and Machaela Cavanaugh, have been elected to the Nebraska Legislature, extending the family’s involvement in state government into a second generation. In June 2025, John Jr. announced a campaign for his father’s former congressional seat in Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district for the 2026 election, a district then held by Republican Representative Don Bacon.