Robert S. Mueller III ’66

Bob died March 20, 2026.

He graduated from St. Paul’s, where he was captain of the soccer, hockey, and lacrosse teams.

At Princeton, he majored in politics, belonged to Cottage Club, and played hockey and lacrosse. After graduation, he earned a master’s in international law from New York University. He enlisted in the Marines and served in Vietnam, twice suffering gunshot wounds and earning a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

After discharge, he earned a law degree at the University of Virginia. In 1976, he became a federal prosecutor in San Francisco, rising to criminal division chief for the Northern District of California. In 1982, he moved to Boston to prosecute serious crimes, including terrorism.

In 1989, after a stint as partner at the WilmerHale law firm, he joined the Justice Department, rising to criminal division chief. In 1993, he returned to WilmerHale for two years, then volunteered to serve as a homicide prosecutor in Washington.

In 2001, he became director of the FBI, a position he held for 12 years. He is generally credited with transforming the bureau into a force equal to the counterterrorism challenges of the 21st century. He returned to WilmerHale until 2017, when the Justice Department appointed him special counsel for the matter now known as the Russia Investigation.

In 2012, Princeton awarded Bob its highest undergraduate alumnus honor, the Woodrow Wilson Award.

He is survived by his wife, Ann; daughters, Cynthia and Melissa; and five grandchildren, to all of whom the class extends its heartfelt condolences.