Douglas Herbert Barton ’65

Doug died Oct. 9, 2018, after long hospitalization at Stanford, subsequent to spinal surgery and an array of complications.

At Princeton he was a member of Dial Lodge, majored in history, and graduated magna cum laude. Doug overcame many childhood ailments, zipped off to Stanford for his law degree and better weather, and — after the end of his marriage to his first wife, Brigid, with whom he had two sons — married Sue and produced two girls.

His law career was in labor: first a field attorney for the NLRB, sitting as the referee during an attempt to unionize Stanford, then serving as Stanford’s in-house counsel. Moving to private practice in San Francisco, he became managing partner at his firm, mentoring students and younger lawyers, with a commitment to diversity and justice. He devoted hours to bar association and pro bono efforts, and confirmed his integrity by refusing to perform “Louie Louie” for karaoke during a French mini-reunion, arguing that many could do it better, but none knew the words as well.

Doug is survived by Sue; children Greg ’95, Tom ’98, Jamie, and Laura; sister Betty; and five grandchildren. He leaves many grateful clients, fellow lawyers, and people of need whom he served without recompense. Many will miss him and our hearts go out to his family in particular for the loss of this thoughtful, dedicated, and enormously capable man.