Pieter Brakel ’69

We were sorry to learn only recently of the death of Pieter Brakel, who died in Ottawa, Canada, Dec. 3, 2015, from complications related to lung cancer.

Pieter was born in the Netherlands and became an American citizen after he and his parents moved to the United States. He came to Princeton from Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C., majored in economics, worked in food services and as a research assistant, and was a member of Stevenson Hall.

Pieter was strongly opposed to the Vietnam war. One of his roommates describes Pieter as “a good man and a good friend who understood the evils of the war in Vietnam long before his roommates.”  His opposition to the war led him to emigrate to Canada following graduation.

Earning a master’s from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Toronto, Pieter went on to have a distinguished career in the Canadian Department of Finance. Following his 21 years in government, he served as a macroeconomic advisor in Madagascar, Indonesia, Montenegro, Kyrgyzstan, and India. Pieter was brilliant, a great teacher, and a thoughtful intellect. He also was adventurous and loved to travel.

Pieter is survived by his sons, Hendrik and Thomas, and their wives; his grandchild, Owethu; his brothers, Jan and Pim; and his sister, Josie. He is remembered at Princeton for his penetrating intelligence and his ready, beaming smile, and we join his family in mourning his passing.