John has a bachelor's degree in economics and a law degree from Mercer University. Previously, he served as President of the Macon Bar Association and is a member of the Board of Governors for the State Bar of Georgia. John attends the Ingleside Baptist Church. He lives with his wife and their two children in Bolingbroke, Monroe County.

John is a partner at the Macon-based law firm of James-Bates-Brannan-Groover, LLP, where he practices civil litigation, trial work, business advice, and fiduciary law.

John F. Kennedy was first elected to the State Senate in 2014 and has held the position since. He has served as Vice-Chairman of the Banking and Financial Services Committee, Secretary of Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee, and as a member of the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Reapportionment and Redistricting Committees. During the 2017-2018 legislative term, his colleagues elected him to serve as Caucus Chairman for the Senate Majority.