Donald W. de Cordova ’56

Don died Oct. 10, 2025, in New Jersey.

He came to Princeton from Bogota 
High School, where he 
was editor of the newspaper and president of the student council. He joined Cloister Inn and majored in Public and International Affairs. 
Don earned his juris doctorate from Rutgers Law School followed by 20 years in private law practice in Bergen County as well as serving as Judge of the Municipal Court 
in Bogota.

In 1981, he was appointed to the New Jersey Superior Court eventually being elevated to presiding judge of the special civil part before his retirement from the bench in 2004.

In addition to his judicial career, Don served in the Navy after his NROTC commissioning. He graduated from the Naval School of Justice and was active for 32 years in the Naval Reserve Intelligence Program, attaining the rank of captain.

Don’s private life was similarly committed as a member of the Bogota Memorial Reformed Church, where he served as a deacon and elder while cooking highly praised church dinners.

Don is survived by his wife of 54 years, Mary Ann; their children Wendy Ann Buttgereit and her husband Paul and 
William ’97 and his wife Pamela; and grandchildren Julia, Lindsey, Xavier, 
and Quentin.