William Stewart Pinkerton Jr. ’64

Stew died Oct. 28, 2019, of complications from pneumonia in a hospital near his home in Stone Ridge, N.Y.

He came to Princeton from Minneapolis, where he attended the Blake School. At Princeton he majored in English and wrote a thesis titled “Point of View in Scott Fitzgerald: The Evolution of a Style.” Stew ate at Elm Club and participated in several extracurricular activities, most notably Triangle Club, of which he was program manager his senior year.

Stew began a career that would rank him among the most distinguished business journalists of his generation as a proofreader for The Wall Street Journal. Over the ensuing 20 years, he would rise to the post of deputy managing editor, while also earning a law degree from New York University. Then, after a foray into investment banking, he joined Forbes, where he became managing editor. After his retirement in 2009, he wrote or co-wrote two books and was a contributing writer for the Journal. His alumni activities included one term as class secretary and two as vice president. He also served as chair and co-chair of the Schools Committee of New York City.

The class extends its profound condolences to Stew’s wife, Meredith; daughters Chloe and her husband, Ross, and Byrd ’15; and grandson Nathan.