John Magill is Curator / Historian at The Historic New Orleans Collection where he has been employed since 1982. Born in New Orleans and brought up in California, he attended the University of New Orleans where he received a Master's Degree in history. His field of study has been the urban growth of New Orleans, and he has written and lectured extensively on the subject.

His articles have appeared in publications such as New Orleans Magazine, Gambit, Preservation in Print, Louisiana Cultural Vistas and The Historic New Orleans Collection Quarterly. He has contributed to several books including Charting Louisiana: 500 Years of Maps, Classic New Orleans, Marie Adrien Persac: Louisiana Artist and most recently with television producer Peggy Scott Laborde he has written Canal Street: New Orleans' Great Wide Way and Christmas in New Orleans.

Exhibitions at The Historic New Orleans Collection to which he has contributed include "A Pelican's-Eye View: New Orleans through Bird's-eye Views," "From Bank to Shore: The Development of New Orleans Neighborhoods," "The Long Weekend: Arts and French Quarter Preservation between the World Wars" and "A Mystical Bal Masque: the Mystic Club Ball," "Surrounded by Water: New Orleans, The Mississippi River & Lake Pontchartrain," and "A Closer Look: the Antebellum Photographs of Jay Dearborn Edwards."

He received the 2006 first place Press Club of New Orleans award for an article that appeared in Louisiana Cultural Vistas and also the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities "Individual Achievement in the Humanities" award for 2007.