John Hessel
John Hessel
John Hessel has enjoyed a long and distinguished career, yet remains an active participant in his community. As long-standing city attorney for Kirkwood and Florissant, he represents local government entities on various matters.
Hessel is an expert capital stewardship specialist and has spearheaded hundreds of church fundraising campaigns for Kingdom causes. Additionally, he currently serves as trustee at Missouri Baptist University.
Early Life and Education
John Hessel received his early education at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire before going on to receive his undergraduate degree from Harvard College.
Hessel went on to serve as a minister and pastor of several churches in St. Louis County, Missouri.
His experiences at MBU provided him with the building blocks for ministry. The Christ-centered community he encountered there inspired him to become a powerful force within the body of Christ.
Hessel has been actively engaged in capital stewardship of independent and church-affiliated Baptist, Lutheran and Methodist congregations for over 25 years. Through raising millions of dollars towards debt reduction projects and new construction, he has seen God reward their efforts.
Professional Career
John Hessel specializes in representing businesses and governmental entities in commercial transactions and litigation. With extensive expertise, he is equipped to tackle contractual problems, intellectual property matters and complex litigation cases.
He is a member of both the Missouri and Illinois bars, having practiced before United States District Courts for both Eastern and Southern Districts of Missouri, the Supreme Court of Missouri, as well as U.S. Courts of Appeals in Second, Seventh, and Eighth Circuits.
He has represented numerous cities, fire districts, state and local bond authorities and governmental bodies in a range of legal matters. His expertise includes municipal law, labor law, Sunshine Law and contractual disputes. Furthermore, he handles media law matters such as defamation/privacy/newsgathering/access; copyright registration/litigation; First Amendment concerns – just to name a few!
Achievements and Honors
John Hessel has earned a number of accolades during his career. In 2009, he was inducted into Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers(r), and in 2022-2022 The Best Lawyers in America(r) for municipal law. Additionally, John received honorary doctorates in both areas in 2022-2022.
He has served as city attorney for Kirkwood and Florissant, Missouri since 1994, representing a variety of clients in commercial transactions and litigation.
He was honored with Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s ICON Award for his distinguished legal career. Selected out of 30 attorneys across the state for their exceptional careers and dedication to serving Missouri’s legal community, he was recognized at their fifth annual luncheon June 29th 2022 and profiled both in print and online in a special section of Missouri Lawyers Weekly.
Personal Life
John Hessel was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He enjoyed reading history books, traveling, visiting parks and community events, working around the house and yard – as well as many other interests.
He was an inquisitive learner, always striving for more. His knack for problem-solving was remarkable and he took great pleasure in contributing to his family’s successes.
In February 2008, John was at a Kirkwood City Council meeting when Charles “Cookie” Thornton ambushed the building and fatally shot five police officers. Yost instinctively threw three chairs at Thornton to slow him down and prevent further violence against Yost and other Council members.
Net Worth
John Hessel has an estimated net worth of $5 million. She has amassed this fortune through her professional journalism career and enjoys a comfortable lifestyle, though she prefers to keep her net worth and assets private.
She is a well-known news reporter for Fox 2 News and her net worth is expected to increase over time as her career develops.
Hessel was born on April 20, 1955 in Netherlands and as of January 9, 2023 she had an estimated net worth of $5 million. We will update this article once more details become available about her personal life; whether she’s married or has children, as well as her height and other body measurements which we can only guess at from her photo that she stands tall.