David S. Swayze ’66

Dave died Jan. 23, 2026. The immediate cause was a concussion sustained in a fall. For several years, he had suffered from macular degeneration, robbing him of vision.  

A lifelong Delaware resident, Dave came to Princeton from Wilmington’s Mount Pleasant High School, where he was student council president and a member of the wrestling team. At Princeton, Dave majored in politics and belonged to Quadrangle Club. He was in Whig-Clio and the Pre-Law Society and on the UCC Academic Committee. Roommates included Dave Burnett, Jim Papa, and Paul Kepler. 

After Princeton, he earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, he joined a corporate law firm in Wilmington. Most recently, he was a principal in the Parkowski, Guerke & Swayze law firm. 

Dave was active in politics, serving as close adviser to leaders of both major parties, including governors and congressional representatives. For several years he was chief of staff for Gov. Pete DuPont ’56. In 2022, Gov. John Carney awarded him The Order of the First State, described by The Delaware Bar Journal as the highest and most prestigious honor a governor can award. 

Dave is survived by his wife, Carolyn De Pew-Swayze, and children, Lisa and Scott, to whom the class offers its condolences.