Elbridge R. Graef ’41 *42

Portrait
Image
Body

El died July 10, 2016, in Greenville, Del. He was 96.

He prepared at Horace Mann School in New York City. At Princeton El majored in chemical engineering. He played interclub basketball and baseball and was a member of Charter Club. In 1942 he earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton. 

During World War II he served a tour of duty in the Pacific as an ensign aboard an attack transport. He went on inactive status in 1946 as a lieutenant, junior grade. 

El spent his career as a chemical engineer and in management with DuPont in Delaware and Texas. After his career at DuPont he pursued his passion for investing. 

In 1957 he married Sally Ann Williams, the love of his life. They enjoyed many happy summers sailing on Chesapeake Bay and winters in Vero Beach, Fla. He was devoted to his wife and family.

El was survived by Sally; sons Charles, Peter, Fred, and David; sister Edith McGeer; nephews Tad McGeer *79 and Rick McGeer; and niece Victoria McGeer, a senior research scholar at Princeton. 

No responses yet

Join the conversation

Plain text

Full name and Princeton affiliation (if applicable) are required for all published comments. For more information, view our commenting policy. Responses are limited to 500 words for online and 250 words for print consideration.

Paw in print

Image
The October 2025 cover of PAW, featuring an illustration of a woman dressed like Superman, but the S on her chest is a dollar sign.
The Latest Issue

October 2025

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott ’92; President Eisgruber ’83 defends higher ed; Julia Ioffe ’05 explains Russia.