Thomas Weber ’38

Thomas Weber died Sept. 10, 2006, at JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J.

Born in Philadelphia, he lived in the Metuchen-Edison area from 1951 until his death. Tom came to Princeton from the Nichols School in Buffalo, earned a bachelor’s in history, and then earned a master’s from Columbia. Shortly thereafter he joined the Army, where he had military-police and quartermaster duties.

After the war, Tom became a history instructor at Douglass College of Rutgers University. In 1951 he received a Ph.D. in history from Columbia. His doctoral thesis, “The Northern Railroads in the Civil War,” was later published in book form. He taught until 1978, when he retired as professor emeritus. He also wrote two books about the First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen, where he was an active member.

Tom served as a councilman of the Borough of Metuchen from 1959 to 1964, followed by two years as mayor. In 1985 he was a member of the New Jersey legislative committee for the American Association of Retired Persons. He also endowed a Douglass scholarship in public service.

Tom’s wife, Mary Louise Cole Weber, died in 1982. He is survived by a brother, Robert; a son, Thomas; a daughter, Dr. Marilyn Weber; many nieces and nephews; and a grandson. The class extends sincere condolences to all the family.