John Connable Bennett Jr. ’61

John died Dec. 6, 2020, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.

Born in New York City and a son of  ’30, John came to us from Hotchkiss School. At Princeton he majored in history, rowed crew, and took his meals at Cottage Club. He roomed with Dusty Reeder and Mickey Michel all four years.

Following Princeton John went to Harvard Law School and passed the Pennsylvania Bar in 1964. He then joined Drinker Biddle & Reath in Philadelphia, where he remained for 41 years, becoming a partner in a corner office overlooking the Parkway and retiring in 2005.

He served as a trustee of Hotchkiss for a decade and was a Princeton Reunions regular. He was an active member of the Orpheus Club, Philadelphia’s version of Triangle, often in a female role despite being 6 feet 5 inches tall. He remained devoted to sports all of his life, including tennis, paddle tennis, and golf.

John is survived by his wife of 52 years, Hope; daughters Bradley Clements, Gail Redpath, and Leslie Haddow; sons Chris and Hunter; 14 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Be sure to check out the wonderful obituary written by his son Hunter on the website.