Paul S. Sarbanes ’54

Paul died Dec. 6, 2020.

He prepared for Princeton at Salisbury (Md.) High School, where he was active in basketball and student government. At Princeton he majored in the Woodrow Wilson School, joined Cannon Club, played varsity basketball, and held leadership positions in many campus organizations. He won the Pyne Prize for excellence in scholarship, character, and leadership; graduated Phi Beta Kappa; and attended Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship.

Although in the senior class poll he was voted “Done the most for Princeton,” “Best all-around man,” “Most respected,” “Biggest grind,” “Most likely to succeed,” “Biggest drag with the faculty,” and “Most ambitious,” he operated quietly in his subsequent life as a public servant.

After Oxford he earned a law degree at Harvard, married Christine Dunbar, practiced law, and held a number of clerkships and official positions. Elected to public office in Maryland and in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, he is remembered for his role in the impeachment proceedings against Richard Nixon, the Panama Canal treaties, and as co-sponsor of the Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act, known as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

In an essay for his 50th reunion, he wrote, “Public service, in its many forms, is critically important to making our society a viable one. … Democracy cannot be taken for granted. It is very precious and very fragile.”

Paul was predeceased by his wife, Christine. He is survived by his children John ’84, Michael ’86, and Janet ’89; and seven grandchildren including Mulugeta ’16 and Anteneh ’16.