Jacob B. Underhill III ’48

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A very active and prominent leader of our class, Jake died Feb. 20, 2016, of esophageal cancer. He was 89 and had retired as president and director of New York Life Insurance Co. after careers in journalism, New York politics and government, and business.

After entering Princeton in 1946 from Phillips Exeter Academy, Jake graduated in 1950 with a double major in English and American civilization. After graduation he took a job as the editor of the Potsdam (N.Y.) Courier-Freeman, then was on staff at the Rochester Democrat-Chronicle and the Gannett News Service Albany Bureau. Jake became chief editorial writer for the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, a national affairs writer for Newsweek, and a magazine editor at McGraw-Hill. He also worked as press secretary for Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and as New York State deputy superintendent of insurance before joining New York Life in 1976. Jake was a leader in many civic, community, and national service organizations.

Jake is survived by his fourth wife, Nancy Maloney; three children from his first marriage to Cynthia Lovejoy— Kate Underhill Kerwin, David, and Benedict; and six grandchildren.