He prepared at Westminster School, and at Princeton he majored in S.P.I.A., graduating with high honors. He was a Woodrow Wilson School summer fellow to Scandinavia in 1949. He was on the editorial board of The Daily Princetonian, and a member of the Glee Club and Tower Club. Jim served in the Army Air Force from 1946 to 1947.  

Jim’s work career started with the Marshall Plan in Greece. Upon returning to Washington he left government service and took a position with Esso Standard Hellas, a subsidiary of what is now Exxon. Further career activities included oil-refining strategies in countries in the developing world. Throughout his life Jim remained a fierce defender of U.S. accomplishments in postwar Greece.

His marriage to Gail Dinsmore Warren ended in divorce. His survivors include Marge Lesser Benjamin, his wife of 19 years; five children from his first marriage, Michael, Timothy, James, Kate, and Alexandra Martin; and his stepsons, Jon and Lee Benjamin. The class extends its deep sympathy to them all on their loss.

Undergraduate Class of 1949