Thomas James Bain ’53

Portrait
Image
Body

Tom was born in Franklin, Sussex County, N. J., one of the most rural parts of the state, and returned there after graduation and a stint in the Army. At Princeton he majored in the Woodrow Wilson School, ran high hurdles on the track team, and was a member of Cap and Gown.

He was drafted in 1953 and spent two years as a radio operator at Camp Gordon in Georgia and Fort Meade in Maryland. Tom then moved on to Harvard Law School, where he met Ann Elizabeth Gordon, a student at Radcliffe, whom he married in 1959 after her graduation.

Meanwhile, Tom had begun clerking with a law firm in Newton, N.J., in Sussex County, and joined the firm after his graduation from law school. He was made a partner in 1962 and continued with the firm until his retirement in 1999. Local activities included serving on the board of trustees of the hospital and as a municipal judge. Having grown up on the family farm, Tom enjoyed being a weekend farmer and took a great interest in raising Black Angus cattle. He died Dec. 5, 2016, and is survived by his wife, their three children, and their children’s families.

No responses yet

Join the conversation

Plain text

Full name and Princeton affiliation (if applicable) are required for all published comments. For more information, view our commenting policy. Responses are limited to 500 words for online and 250 words for print consideration.

Paw in print

Image
The January 2026 cover of PAW, featuring a man and a woman and the headline "Empower Couple."
The Latest Issue

January 2026

Giving big with Kwanza Jones ’93 and José E. Feliciano ’94; Elizabeth Tsurkov freed; small town wonderers.