Oren Root ’33

OREN DIED of cancer Jan. 14, 1995, at his home in Bedford, N.Y. He was 83. A New Yorker and great nephew of Elihu Root, he came to Princeton from St. Paul's. He was one of the first in our class to be accepted on the PRINCETONIAN. He was a member of Colonial Club, and its president senior year. He earned his law degree at Virginia.

A young Oren Root stepped onto the national scene in 1940 when Wendell Willkie ran for president. Oren was the organizer and driving force behind the Willkie Clubs, which were made up of nonpolitical citizens who believed that an able business executive, rather than a politician, should lead the country in time of war.

Oren went to war himself, served in the Navy, and received the Croix de Guerre for his service in the Normandy invasion. Later, he served in various capacities with New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. He practiced law when not in government service, was a long time member of the Intl. Rescue Committee, and served as the first president of the Natl. Assn. for Mental Health.

The class is proud of Oren's long and useful career and extends its sincere sympathy to his widow, Daphne; his sons, Oren Jr., Spyros, and Anthony; and his daughter Dolores.