Allen D. Porter ’63

Allen died March 16, 2025, surrounded by family in Princeton.

He came to Princeton from Rahway (N.J.) High School. His parents were a hard-working couple with a small business — the family lived upstairs. They didn’t attend college; his father didn’t even graduate from the eighth grade. Allen graduated Princeton magna cum laude and then earned a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School, where he was on the Law Review all three years and a member of Order of the Coif, the school’s highest honor. After serving one year as a judicial clerk in the federal District Court in Trenton, he was hired by attorney William Miller, a sole practitioner in Princeton. Allen was with the firm for the next 53 years. His fifth-floor corner office at 1 Palmer Square looked out at the turrets of Alexander Hall and Holder Tower.

In 1967, Allen met Rhona, a recent graduate of Douglass College and a first-year history teacher at Princeton High School. They were married the next year.

Allen’s community commitments were extensive. He represented the Princeton Planning Board for 40 years and served on the boards of Friends of the Princeton Public Library and the Library Foundation. He was counsel to the Princeton Area Community Foundation, having served as a board member and treasurer for many years. Last fall, he was honored for his 50 years of legal counsel to the Jewish Community Center.

Allen is survived by his wife of 57 years, Rhona; daughters Shara and Julie; and grandson Charlie.