John C. MacMurray ’61

Portrait
Image
Body

We lost Mac Sept. 4, 2023, when he died after a long bout with prostate cancer.

Born in Harrisburg, Pa., he came to us from Camp Hill High School. At Princeton, he majored in philosophy, took his meals at Ivy, was in the Pre-Law Society, and as a football wingback caught the game-winning pass against Dartmouth his senior year. He roomed with Stan Baldwin, Bob Craft, Don Kornrumpf, George Waters, and Clark Woolley.

After Princeton he earned a law degree at Columbia. In 1973, Mac co-founded Reboul, MacMurray, Hewitt, Maynard and Kristol, where he helped build and run a successful practice for 30 years before merging it with Ropes & Gray in 2003. He was a member of the Downtown Association, Anglers Club, Racquet & Tennis Club, and the Knickerbocker Club. He was a board member of Brick Church, St. Bernard’s School, the Princeton University Press, and Legal Outreach, which serves low-income urban youth in New York City. In 2019, he received Legal Outreach’s first lifetime service award. He was an avid fly fisherman, hunter, and bicyclist.

Mac is survived by two sons, John ’98 and Grant; their mother Ann; two grandchildren; and his longtime companion Linda Donn.

No responses yet

Join the conversation

Plain text

Full name and Princeton affiliation (if applicable) are required for all published comments. For more information, view our commenting policy. Responses are limited to 500 words for online and 250 words for print consideration.

Paw in print

Image
The October 2025 cover of PAW, featuring an illustration of a woman dressed like Superman, but the S on her chest is a dollar sign.
The Latest Issue

October 2025

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott ’92; President Eisgruber ’83 defends higher ed; Julia Ioffe ’05 explains Russia.