James Fairfield English Jr.

James Fairfield English, Jr., President Emeritus of Trinity College, died at his home in Noank, CT, on June 2. He was 93 years old. He was the son of the late Reverend James Fairfield English, DD, and Alice Bradford Welles English. He is survived by his devoted wife Isabelle Spotswood Cox English, three children: James Fairfield English, III, of Philadelphia, PA; Margaret Stuart English Unsworth of Charlottesville, VA; and William Berkeley English of New Haven, CT; ten grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. His daughter Alice Bradford English Johansson passed away in 2015, and his sister Janet English Dorman in 2019. Jim and Isabelle spent most of their lives in West Hartford, CT. Jim attended the Loomis Chaffee School and on graduation in 1944 enlisted in the Army. He was assigned to a Japanese language program and on completion served in the 441st Counter Intelligence Detachment in the occupation of Japan. On his return, he took degrees at Yale University, Cambridge University, and the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he was a part-time faculty member for several years. In 1951 Jim took a position at the Connecticut Bank and Trust Company, where he rose rapidly to President and then Chairman and CEO. He retired from the active management of the Bank in 1977 and joined the administration of Trinity College, where he was President from 1981 to 1989. In the course of his career he served on the boards of a number of corporations, including the Bank and its successors, CIGNA Corp., Emhart Corp., Heublein Inc., The Connecticut Natural Gas Company, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He was also, at various times, on the boards of several charitable institutions, among them Hartford Hospital, the Wadsworth Atheneum, and Connecticut College. He was for a time Chairman of the Board of the Loomis Chaffee School and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. He also served as a member of the Connecticut Commission on Higher Education and as Chairman of the Connecticut Health and Education Facilities Authority. At all these endeavors he was admired for his long hours of work, sound judgment, and high ethical standards, as well as for a gentle style of management and a ready instinct for collegiality. In his later years, Jim and his wife Isabelle spent increased time at their home in the coastal village of Noank, CT, making it their sole residence in 2009. There, he was active on the boards of the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut and the Mystic Seaport Museum, where he filled in briefly, in 2001, as Interim President and Director. Known for their kindness and easy hospitality, he and Isabelle held countless luncheons and cocktail hours on their sunny deck overlooking Fisher's Island Sound. Jim delighted in his family, his large and diverse circle of friends, his whippets, his small sailboat, his woodworking shop, and his wide reading in cultural, political, and intellectual history. He considered himself very fortunate to have had such a wonderful wife and family and so interesting and varied a life. A memorial service is planned for a later date. Contributions may be made to Trinity College, 300 Summit Street, Hartford, CT 06106 or the Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, CT 06355.