Thomas S. Ellis III ’61

Tim died at home in Keswick, Va., on July 30, 2025.

Born in Bogota. Colombia, he lived in several South American countries into his teens and came to Princeton from Greenwich High School in Connecticut. Attending Princeton on a full Navy ROTC scholarship, he majored in aeronautical engineering and took his meals at Tower Club. His roommates were Roger Morgan, Dar LaBarthe, and Carl Gustafson.

After six years as a naval aviator flying F-4 Phantom II fighters off aircraft carriers, Tim earned his LL.D. at Harvard Law School, graduating magna cum laude, followed by a Diploma in Law at Magdalen College, Oxford.

Then ensued several decades as a litigator with Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Va., where he earned the nickname “The Tasmanian Devil” in the legal community. In 1989, President Reagan appointed him United States federal district judge for the eastern district of Virginia, a court known as the “Rocket Docket” for its speedy adjudication rate under his guidance. He served the court with distinction until his retirement in 2024. This short memorial can’t begin to do justice to his long judicial career.

Tim is survived by his wife of 30 years, Rebecca; sons Alexander ’94 and Parrish; and three grandchildren.