Alan I. Baron ’63

Alan, an esteemed Washington attorney with a passion for public service, died Feb. 24, 2024, of brain cancer at his home in Washington, D.C.

A first-generation American and the first in his family to go to college, Alan came to Princeton from Talmudical Academy in Baltimore. He was an English major, took his meals at Campus Club, was president of the International Relations Club, and was a member of the Keycept Program Steering Committee and the Whig-Clio Society.

After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1966, Alan clerked for the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for Maryland and then served as assistant U.S. attorney for Maryland.

On entering private practice, Alan focused on defending white collar crime prosecutions, litigating complex civil cases, and serving as special counsel in public proceedings. He successfully defended L. Patrick Gray III, former director of the FBI, who was indicted for allegedly authorizing unlawful FBI break-ins.

From 1987 to 1989, Alan served as special impeachment counsel for the House Judiciary Committee in proceedings that resulted in the impeachment, conviction, and ultimate removal of federal judges Alcee Hastings and Walter Nixon. In 2008, he was again retained by the House and oversaw the impeachment and conviction of U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous. A year later, again for the House, he oversaw the impeachment of District Judge Samuel B. Kent, who then resigned from office.

In a 1997 interview with The Washington Post, Alan described himself as “a good, aggressive” questioner. “I don’t do capillaries,” he said, “I go for the jugular.”

Alan had a passion for travel with his wife of 25 years, Wendy Owen, and they enjoyed spending time at their lake house in Nova Scotia. She survives him.