John Sykes was adopted by the Grahams, and never knew who his real parents were. When he was younger he tried to find out who they were, but was told that the documents were destroyed in a fire. Although he never knew his actual parents John always looked up to Congressman Graham as a real father, and John always looked out and protected his younger sister from his adoptive family, Barabra Graham.
In 1998 Barabra started to have a mental breakdown, and John had a hard time believing it. Then when she shot and killed John's friend, the police commissioner Bo Buchanan's son, Drew Buchanan John couldn't face the facts. John was then forced to arrest Barbara and felt very guilty. Congressman Graham tried to talk John into pinning it on someone else, but John refused. In late 1998, John was promoted to commissioner of police, because Bo was stripped of all his duties after he confessed to killing Georgie Phillips. After it was proved that Rachel Gannon killed Georgie and not Bo, Bo was the commissioner again, and John was once again just one of the men on the police force.
John soon found himself liking a young attractive lawyer named Tea Delgado. At first Tea didn't really want a relationship with John, but after awhile Tea and John started dating. The relationship didn't last very long though, and Tea and John soon broke up.
In the later part of 1999, John started becoming very good friends with Rae Cummings, a woman who came to Llanview in search of something, but wouldn't tell John what that something was. John and Rae got closer, and they both started to like eachother as more than just friends, but neither of them would admit their feelings for eachother. Then Rae left town to go to Pine Valley, and John was heartbroken that he never admited his feelings to her.
Later, in the begining of the year 2000, John was escorting Will Rappaport to Statesville prison on a train. The train derailed, Will escaped, and John was badly injured. At this same time Rae had returned to Llanview, and heard of the train crash. Rae rushed to John's side. Rae then admited to John that she was in search for her daughter, and thats why she came to Llanview. With no more secrets between the two they then admited their love for one another. John then began to help Rae search for her long-lost daughter, while they started dating.
Rae and John finally made love one night, but through the window a woman who hated Rae, Skye Chandler was watching, and taking pictures of the two. Skye then published the pictures of them in The Sun(a local newspaper that she works for), and wrote an article about how John had in love for Rae let her ex-husband Daniel leave town after commiting several crimes. Of course the accusations were false, but because of the possibility of it being true Bo was forced to striped John of his badge, and start an investigation.
John, while visiting the police station, saw his friend Sophia Pelligrino there, and she had some very shocking news to tell him. Sophia had found a document at the cemetary that had the name of Rae's daughter on it. The document proved that Syke was Rae's daughter! Sophia and John were both in shock, and they decided it would be best if John told Rae the truth. A couple days later John saw Rae screaming at Skye for what she had done to John, and harrasing her about what a terrible person she was. John stopped Rae from saying anything else that she would regret later. John took Rae into a room, and told her the shocking truth that Skye was her long lost daughter that Rae had been searching a year now for. Rae didn't believe John at first, but then John showed her the document that proved it, and Rae was forced to come to terms with the truth. John comforted Rae, and then Rae and John both decided it would be best if they not tell anyone else.
Rae and John's relationship continued to grow. They were both very much in love. Then in February of 2001, John and Rae went to Todd Manning and Blair Cramer's wedding. At the wedding, Todd stopped his wedding to tell three big secrets that he knew. Todd was very angry at the time, and just wanted revenge against the world. One of the secrets Todd knew was that Skye was Rae's long lost daughter. Todd blurted out to everyone, including Skye, that Rae was her real mother. Skye and Rae were crushed over what had happened and how it happened. John was extremely mad over the whole incident, and escorted Todd and Blair to jail for several crimes they commited. Once Rae and Skye talked about it, Skye shut Rae out of her life. Although later on they started to get closer. When Skye shut Rae out of her life, Rae leaned on John for comfort. This even made the couple grow closer then they were before.
Later on, in August of 2001, John got a job offer in San Francisco. It was a huge promotion, and John took it. He was only suppose to be gone for a short while though, and it wasn't suppose to be a permanent deal. When John told Rae about it she was very sad, but since John was coming back she decided to stay in Llanview while he left. A couple months later John hadn't come back yet and wasn't calling her much anymore, so Rae took a vacation and went to see him in San Francisco. When Rae got to San Francisco John broke up with her, and told her that he was going to be living in San Francisco permanently. A heartbroken Rae went back to Llanview, and John was never heard of again.