William Potter Johns ’57

Bill was one of the more colorful members of the class but not especially known. His wit was sharp, as was his aesthetic taste. 

Bill came to Princeton from Tulsa and was president of the Oklahoma Club, a member of the yacht and polo clubs, and ate at Campus Club. He was in the Army ROTC and a horse troop. His senior-year roommate was Bruce Martin. 

He served in the Army as an officer, then attended Harvard and Columbia, where he studied architecture and history. His principal professional occupation was as the director of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. Bill himself belonged to some of the most important societies representing distinguished early-American ancestry, especially the Society of the Cincinnati, the members of which are descendants of American Revolutionary War officers. 

He contributed to historical books and publications. He also co-founded Country Floors, a New York design and tile company. He lived on the ground floor of an Upper East Side apartment house attended during his last seven years by two teams of nurses. 

Bill died at home Oct. 29, 2021. He was predeceased by a lifelong companion, Laszlo Kepessy of Budapest, Hungary, known to a few classmates.