John V. Ellicott Jr. ’51

John came to Princeton after graduating valedictorian from Landon School in Bethesda, Md. He was an economics major, graduated summa cum laude, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He was on the editorial staff of the Bric-a-Brac, the VP of Theatre Intime, and a member of the Quadrangle Club. He roomed with Allen Rushton.

After graduation, John earned a law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School. He served four years in the Navy JAG and then pursued a career as a trade lawyer and ultimately partner at the firm Covington & Burling, where he dealt with foreign trade control issues including export controls, economic sanctions, and measures to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

He was married to his first wife, Mary Lou Ulery Ellicott, for 40 years. Following her death, he married Beatrice Berle Meyerson in 1996. John enjoyed tennis, hiking, skiing, and traveling, especially to Brazil. An avid cyclist, he commuted to work on his bike for decades and founded his firm’s biking club, C&B Wheels. John served as our class vice president in 2007-11 and then as president in 2011-16.

John died Jan. 15, 2024, at his home in Washington, D.C. He is survived by his wife, Bea; daughter Annie ’79; son Val; stepsons Win, Fred, and Chris; and five step-grandsons.