Jeffrey B. Perry ’68

Jeff died Sept. 24, 2022, in Westwood, N.J., after a long battle with cancer and its attendant illnesses.

Jeff came to us from Paramus (N.J.) High School, where he excelled in baseball, basketball, and soccer. At Princeton, he majored in psychology and was active in Students for a Democratic Society. He was a member of Quadrangle, then Ivy.

Upon graduating, his newfound beliefs in social justice and anti-war activism led him to protest the war and become a proponent of progressive radicalism. He traveled extensively and then became a union activist at the Postal Service, spending 33 years as a mail handler and union officer while earning a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in American history at Columbia.

Jeff continued to write and research throughout his life, authored and edited numerous books and articles, and delivered countless talks focusing on the role of white supremacy as a retardant to progressive social change. He wrote extensively about Theodore W. Allen, who wrote The Invention of the White Race. In 2020, he completed publication of volume two of his biography of Hubert Harrison, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Becky Hom; and his daughter, Perri. The class extends its deepest sympathies to Jeff’s extended family and friends.