George D. Dayton III ’52

George came to the class from Wayzata, Minn., after graduating from the Blake School, by way of Lawrenceville. His grandfather, D. Draper Dayton, was in the Class of 1902 and his father, George Dayton II, was a member of ’28.

An unlucky meeting with a couple of proctors sent George home freshman year. He came back in the fall of 1950 and left Princeton after a semester to commence his career in auto sales and racing, succeeded by land development in Florida and Hawaii. He was married to Patricia Courtney and subsequently, for 30 years, to Jane Poole until her death.

George was a competitive swimmer, guitarist, and fan of motor vehicles. He enjoyed friends wherever he lived — in Minnesota, Florida, Hawaii, Arizona, and California, where he died Nov. 18, 2009.  

George had six children, Sarah Jane Howard, Elaine Bourque, Jeffrey Winchell Dayton, Patricia Sharpe Dayton Warfield, John G. Dayton, and Grace Stewart Dayton Contro. To them and to his extended family, the class extends its condolences.