Harrison J. Goldin ’57

A noted politician and attorney, Jay died Sept. 16, 2024, in his hometown of New York City. He came to Princeton from the Bronx High School of Science, where he was valedictorian. At Princeton, he majored in politics and spent the summers before sophomore and senior years in Europe and England on scholarships. He joined Quadrangle Club, was president of the Hillel Foundation, and wrote political columns for The Daily Princetonian. Jay was also a varsity debater and parliamentarian for Whig-Clio and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He roomed senior year with Sheldon Baskin ’58 and Robert Hipp ’58.

After college Jay earned an LL.B. degree at Yale, graduating as a member of the Order of the Coif, and was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Harvard. He served as a civil rights attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, followed by a stint with the law firm of Davis Polk. In 1966, he married Diana C. Stern, a Vassar graduate, and was elected as a New York state senator. After having been re-elected four times, in 1973 he was elected comptroller of New York City. Along with Mayor Abraham Beame, Jay is credited with rescuing the city from a number of financial crises in the 1970s but lost a primary election for the mayor’s job to David Dinkins, who went on to win the office.

Jay founded Goldin Associates, specializing in bankruptcy and public affairs. Some of his clients included Drexel Burnham Lambert, Rockefeller Center, and Enron. Jay also was an adjunct professor or lecturer at NYU, Columbia, Cardozo Law School, and NY Law School. He sold his firm to Teneo and retired in 2020.

Jay is survived by his wife, Diana; their three children, Daniel ’93, Matthew, and Jonathan; and their families.