John G. Palfrey

John Gorham Palfrey Jr. (March 12, 1919 – October 28, 1979) was an American academic, administrator, and government official. He served as a professor of law at Columbia University and held the position of dean of Columbia College from 1958 to 1962. Additionally, Palfrey was a member of the United States Atomic Energy Commission from 1962 to 1966.

Early life and family background:

Palfrey was born in Beacon Hill, Boston. His parents were Methyl Gertrude (née Oakes) Palfrey and John Gorham Palfrey Sr., a prominent Boston attorney. He had five sisters, all of whom were avid tennis players and won a national junior title; among them was Sarah Palfrey Cooke, who secured multiple titles at the U.S. National Championships, including two singles titles, nine women's doubles titles, and four mixed doubles titles.

His familial lineage includes notable historical figures: he was a great-grandson of John G. Palfrey, a Massachusetts Congressman and the first dean of Harvard Divinity School. His grandfather, Francis Winthrop Palfrey, was an American historian and a Civil War officer. The family descended from William Palfrey, who served as an aide-de-camp to George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.

Education:

Palfrey graduated from Milton Academy and Harvard College in 1940, where he was a classmate of John F. Kennedy. He also attended Harvard Law School; however, his studies were interrupted by World War II. During the war, Palfrey served in the Army Signal Corps and in military intelligence at the Pentagon, retiring with the rank of first lieutenant.

Career:

Following his law studies, Palfrey worked on the staff of the general counsel of the Atomic Energy Commission for three years. He then spent two years at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. In 1952, he joined the faculty of Columbia University, becoming a full professor in 1956. Palfrey was appointed dean of Columbia College's undergraduate liberal arts program.

His appointment to the Atomic Energy Commission was made by President John F. Kennedy, and he continued to serve under President Lyndon B. Johnson. After completing his term on the commission, Palfrey was a fellow at various institutions, including the Harvard Institute of Politics, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the Brookings Institution.

Personal life:

In December 1942, Palfrey married Belle Wyatt "Clochette" Roosevelt (1919–1985) at Fairfax, Virginia. She was a granddaughter of President Theodore Roosevelt and a daughter of Kermit Roosevelt. Their wedding was attended by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Together, they had at least two children: John "Sean" Gorham Palfrey III, who married Judith Swann Sullivan, both of whom are professors of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School, respectively; and Antonia "Tonia" Ford Palfrey (1954–2022), a poet, photographer, and painter, who was engaged to photographer Richard Allan Perrini in 1982.

Death and descendants:

John Gorham Palfrey Jr. died on October 28, 1979, in Boston, at age 60. His grandchildren include John Palfrey, who was on the faculty of Harvard Law School, served as the head of school at Phillips Academy, and is the President of the MacArthur Foundation; and Quentin Palfrey, who has served as Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce and was a Democratic candidate in the 2018 Massachusetts election for lieutenant governor.