He sought a full term in 2004, but lost to Republican Mitch Daniels and returned to private life. He taught political science at Notre Dame and was president and managing investor of South Bend Silver Hawks, then a farm club for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was instrumental in keeping the club, now known as South Bend Cubs, in town.
In the 2011 South Bend mayoral election, Kernan endorsed Pete Buttigieg, who went on to turn eight on City Hall before running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Joseph Eugene Kernan III, the eldest of nine children, was born on April 8, 1946 in Chicago. After World War II, her father sold supplies for cars and restaurants, then, in 1965, helped launch Upward Bound, a federally funded program to help low-income high school students prepare for college. college. Mr. Kernan’s mother, Marian (Powers) Kernan, worked as a communications representative, including for the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, where she managed the Pentagon account.
The family moved to South Bend when Joe was 10 years old. When he went to college, he was able to pay tuition by enrolling in the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He married Maggie McCullough in 1974.
He is survived by his wife, a senior vice president at 1st Source Bank, based in South Bend; her brother Terry; and his sisters Maureen, Barbara, Madeline, Kelly, Jenny, and Susan. Another sister, Mary Pat, died three years ago.
