John Sarbanes is the eldest son of former U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes (who represented the 3rd from 1971 to 1977) and Christine Dunbar Sarbanes, a teacher. He was born in Baltimore, having Greek origin on his father's side and English on his mother's, and graduated from the Gilman School there in 1980. He received a B.A., cum laude, from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1984 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where he was co-chair of the Law School Democrats, in 1988.