William B. O’Connor ’61

Bill died Nov. 6, 2017.

He came to us from Canterbury School and was part of the Canterbury contingent that included Jay McCabe, John O’Neill, and Ken Scasserra, all of whom eventually became Bill’s roommates. Bill joined Colonial, majored in politics, and rowed on the 150-pound crew.

Following graduation, he entered Yale Law School, graduating in 1964. He then embarked on a 52-year legal career in New York City, beginning as an associate at Cravath, Swain & Moore and retiring in 2015 as senior counsel from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, which he had joined as a partner in 1979.

Bill held leadership positions with several charitable organizations. These included serving as president of Canterbury School; president of the Lucerna Fund (a nonprofit serving the sight-impaired); president of the Port Washington N.Y. Community Chest; trustee of the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust; and member of the executive committee of the board of the New York Botanical Garden.

Suzanne, his wife of 56 years, died only a month after his passing. Bill is survived by three children, Kathleen Donovan ’86, Denis O’Connor, and Cynthia Gamble; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He was a strong and loyal supporter of Princeton and our class, and he took great pride in having five Princetonian descendants.