James B. Swire ’63

Jim died May 21, 2017, at home in New Rochelle, N.Y., after a valiant struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

He was a distinguished litigator on issues of trademark, unfair competition, false advertising, and food and drug law.

Jim was a retired partner of Arnold & Porter and took part in high-profile events including serving as lead trial counsel for Institute Pasteur in its 1985 lawsuit against the United States over who established the cause of AIDS, Tiffany’s protection of the robin’s-egg-blue shade that signifies its brand, and higher standards in preventing the sale of counterfeit merchandise online.

Arriving at Princeton from the Jamaica section of Queens, N.Y., Jim was a Woodrow Wilson School major, vice chairman of Response, movie reviewer for The Daily Princetonian, hockey broadcaster for WPRB, and a member of Cloister. After a fondly recalled trip to Norway with Jeff Wood ’63, he enrolled at Harvard Law School and soon “discovered nearby Wellesley College and one Edith Wypler.”

He was president emeritus of CancerCare and loved tennis, water skiing, and New York’s pro sports teams. Friends and colleagues extolled Jim’s brilliance, integrity, generosity, humility, compassion, and dedication to family. “Committed to making a difference in the world, and with always the hint of an emerging smile in his eyes,” added Jim Stuart ’63.

The class shares its sadness with his wife, Edie; daughter Elizabeth; son-in-law Charles Falker; and two grandchildren.