Jim was raised in Leighton, Ala., graduated from Colbert County High School, and then enlisted in the Navy. At Princeton he majored in economics, was president of Cloister Inn, and served on the Interclub Council. He met his wife, Odile de Tussigny, in Paris, where he earned a certificate in economics and liberal arts from the Sorbonne in 1952.

Jim had an international career as a personnel and labor-relations specialist in the petroleum industry, initially with Caltex-Indonesia in Sumatra, then with Amoseas in Libya, and lastly with Texaco in Brussels and New York. He traveled extensively, negotiating local employee-compensation and benefit packages with petrochemical unions.

Jim first retired to Vermont, where he collected antiques and taught himself to restore old furniture, watches, and clocks. His home for the last 18 years of his life was in Corsica, which has been part of France since 1768 but still has a distinct Italian culture.

Jim died Jan. 25, 2017, in Corbara, Corsica. He is survived by Odile; their son, Clyde; and their granddaughter, Ajda Berryman LaPrad. His brother, Leo, predeceased him.