Duncan A.D. Mackay ’42

Duncan Mackay died Jan. 15, 2013, in Washington, D.C. He was born in Lima, Peru, where his parents were missionaries of the Free Church of Scotland. His father subsequently became president of the Princeton Theological Seminary.

Duncan prepared at the Peddie School. At Princeton he majored in philosophy and joined Cloister Inn. He was president of the Philosophy Forum and the Westminster Society.

During the war, Duncan served as an intelligence officer in the China-Burma-India theater. He entered as a private and was discharged as a first lieutenant.

Duncan’s interest in foreign service carried over into civilian life. He served as a political officer, mostly in Saigon, Panama City, Lisbon, and Mexico City. He was ahead of his time in pointing out to his American colleagues the importance to the United States of knowing non-European cultures, especially those of Latin America and Africa.

After 26 years in the State Department and Foreign Service, Duncan served for 16 years as a member of the Secretariat of the Inter-American Development Bank. Finally, he and his wife, Nan, retired to the Ingleside Community in Washington. Nan died in 2004.

To Duncan’s sons, Norman, D. Keith ’74, and Donald; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren, the class extends its sympathy.