David R. Thomson ’47

Dave Thomson died April 19, 2011, in Hanover, N.H., where he had moved to be near his daughter, Connie Blatchford, after the death of his wife, Barbara, several years earlier.

Dave was born in Dundee, Scotland, and graduated from The Peddie School, where his closest friend was Ben Creu. He served in the Army in Germany from 1945 to 1946 as a second lieutenant.

At Princeton he majored in international relations, graduating in 1949 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Joining the State Department after his graduation, he served for 32 years using his specialty of international economics. He married Barbara Fagan, also a State Department officer, in 1965. He served in Afghanistan as an economic/commercial counselor from 1966 to 1970. His next assignment was as international economist for Canadian affairs and director of the Office of Canadian Affairs until 1974, when he became deputy chief of mission in Haiti until 1976. Upon his return to Washington he became senior inspector in the Department of State until his retirement in 1982. He then worked as a consultant on foreign affairs until 1992.

After his retirement, Dave concentrated on his hobbies of classical music, opera, and photography.

The class extends sympathy to Connie and his two granddaughters.