J. Danford ANTHONY Jr.

ANTHONY, J. Danford, Jr.

J. Danford Anthony, Jr., died Sunday evening in Bloomfield, CT. Faced with a grave illness, Dan chose the care of McLean Hospice. Receiving the gentle support of their staff and his loving family, he died peacefully at home the way he lived, in the midst of family life being lived around him. Dan was born in Boston, MA, in 1935, the son of the late Julian D. Anthony and Eleanor Hopkins Anthony, and he grew up in Newton, MA, where he attended public schools. He graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, in 1957 and Harvard Law School in l960. He served in the air wing of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve from 1960-1966. In 1961, he married Nora Brown in Omaha, NE. Dan began his career with a general practice of law in St. Paul, MN; drawn to specialize, he served as a Law Clerk to Judge Bruce M. Forrester, on the U. S. Tax Court in Washington, DC, in 1963 and 1964. He then joined the Hartford law firm of Day, Berry, and Howard as an Associate. Made a Partner in l971, he remained with the firm until his retirement in 2004. Over the course of his long career, Dan distinguished himself as a preeminent tax lawyer. He specialized in the tax treatment of financial intermediaries, tax-exempt organizations, and public financings, and was listed for decades in both "Who's Who in America" and "The Best Lawyers in America." In addition to being a member of the Minnesota and Connecticut Bars, Dan was admitted to the U. S. Supreme Court; the U. S. Court of Federal Claims; the U. S. Tax Court; the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; and the U. S. District Courts in both Connecticut and Minnesota. Over his years of practice he served on various committees of the American Bar Association's Tax Section; the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association's Tax Section (which he chaired from 1988-1991); the Executive Committee of the Federal Tax Institute of New England; the National Association of Bond Lawyers; the National Association of College and University Attorneys; and the Tax Club of Hartford. Dan's law practice reflected his personal values, for he was dedicated to the well-being of the many public and private institutions that benefit society. Similarly, he was an active volunteer throughout his life. At the time of his death, he was an Emeritus Director of Connecticut Children's Medical Center, having been a Director from 1994 and the Chairman of the Board from 1999-2002. He was also a Director and Vice President of The Amistad Center for Art & Culture. And he was completing his 25th year as President of the J. Walton Bissell Foundation. This leadership role provided him particular joy and satisfaction, as it gave him the opportunity to be involved with and to foster a great many worthy charitable enterprises in the Hartford area. Among his other activities in earlier years, he served as Chairman of the Connecticut Red Cross Blood Services; as a Director of the American Red Cross, Greater Hartford Chapter; as a Trustee of the Hartford Conservatory; as a Director of the Urban League of Greater Hartford; as an Elector of the Wadsworth Atheneum; as a member of the Wesleyan Alumni Council; as a National Vice President of the Harvard Law School Association; as a Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra; as a Member of the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army; as a Director of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy; and as a Corporator of Hartford Hospital. In his free time, Dan took great pleasure in both art and music. For a number of years he sang in the Hartford Chorale, and he treasured this opportunity to learn and perform choral masterpieces on the Bushnell stage. He relished—as participant and spectator—many sports, and even if he never achieved his desired handicap, he was an enthusiastic golfer. Dan possessed a principled wisdom. Yet his seriousness of purpose was balanced by a gentle sense of humor and natural humility that earned him the deep respect and affection of those who knew him. Invariably polite and helpful, he had many good friends from all walks of life and a long, happy marriage. Dan grew up spending all his summers at a family homestead in the Cape Cod town of Wellfleet, MA, and in his last years he was perhaps happiest simply being at the house he and Nora had built on Wellfleet Harbor, whether spending time with children and grandchildren, sailing in the Harbor, or gazing at the horizon in the late afternoon light. In addition to his beloved Nora, he leaves behind his three wonderful children, Julian D. Anthony III, of West Hartford, CT; Sarah D. Anthony, of Durham, NC; David C. Anthony and his wife Brett Summers, of Providence, RI; as well as three grandchildren, Willa, Jasper, and Hazel. Predeceased by his sister, Caroline A. Smith, and a brother, Stephen H. Anthony, he is also survived by a brother, Cushman D. Anthony (and his wife Karen); a brother-in law, David B. Smith; a sister-in-law, Barbara M. Anthony; a sister-in-law Sally J. Troyer (and her husband Tom); and several nieces and nephews and their spouses and children.
A memorial service will be held at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Avenue in Hartford, at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 13, 2012. A private family burial will follow in Wellfleet. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, 600 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103, or Connecticut Children's Medical Center Foundation, 282 Washington Street, Hartford, CT 06106, or a charity of the donor's choice.