John Francis Christensen Jr. was born in Pensacola, Florida, on September 25, 1934. He was a U.S. Army veteran and received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1959. After college, he worked as a highway maintenance engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation and then as a design and construction engineer with J.B. Converse and Co., Consulting Engineers.
In 1970, he relocated to Leon County to serve as County Administrator for three years. He then became the Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Transportation in Tallahassee, a position he held for fourteen years.
Christiansen died on January 12, 2020.