James Williams Jr. ’43

The man who was our class president from 1978 to 1983 died July 6, 2014, in Lanexa, Va.

Jim was raised in Portsmouth, Ohio, and came to us from Portsmouth High School. At Princeton he majored in economics and graduated with high honors. He earned a letter as a member of the championship ’50s crew and was a member of Whig-Clio. His after-graduation plans included attending law school, which he accomplished after serving aboard the destroyer USS Meade. Jim participated in the invasion of Tarawa, among other battles, and retired from the Navy Reserve with the rank of commander.

He graduated from Yale Law School in 1949 and served for four years as legislative counsel to Sen. Robert Taft. In 1954, he was appointed by President Eisenhower to the Commission on Application of Federal Laws to the Virgin Islands. For more than 40 years, he practiced international trade, legislative, and administrative law in Washington. Jim always was a loyal supporter of our class and Princeton.

He is survived by his children, James D. Williams III ’78, John M. Williams ’80, David E. Williams ’82, and Nancy Love Williams.