Thomas Andrew Hulfish III

THOMAS ANDREW HULFISH III

6th Generation Alexandrian

Thomas Andrew Hulfish III died on August 20, 2025, at the age of 91. He was born November 11, 1933, in the District of Columbia and grew up at 200 Duke Street in Alexandria's Old Town in a house where his great great grandfather lived in the late 19th century. He was the son of Thomas Andrew Hulfish, Jr. and Marianne "Polly" Minnigerode Maigne. Both of his parents were active in historic preservation. His father as a member of City Council proposed and passed the Charleston Ordinance making Alexandria the third "Old and Historic District" in the United States and establishing a Board of Architectural Review (BAR). Tom's mother Polly was a legend in her own time for the restoration of over 50 houses in the Historic District from the late 1950s until the 1970s for which she received several awards. She was the second woman to serve on Alexandria's Board of Architectural Review.

Tom was educated in local public schools and also attended St. Paul's School in Baltimore. As a teen he participated in a seaman apprentice program at the port of New York on a small wooden hydrographic vessel charting the North Atlantic. He had good memories of the crew, sailing up the northeast coast, seeing the aurora borealis, and climbing into the crow's nest. This seaman adventure likely inspired Tom to enlist in the Navy in 1952 during the Korean War. He trained as a medic at Naval Bethesda Hospital and served in that capacity on the U.S.S. Bennington, an aircraft carrier on which he traveled the globe, crossing both the Equator and the International Dateline.

After the Navy Tom returned to Alexandria and began his business career. Building on his navy medic experience he started a local ambulance service that expanded to Petersburg, VA, Columbia, S.C. and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. He actively began to engage meaningfully with the Alexandria community by serving on various Boards and Commissions, often rising to Chair or President of these groups due to his natural leadership skills. Over time his attachment to Alexandria, its history, his family history, and its future reshaped his career.

Tom pivoted to real estate and was one of the founding agents in the newly formed McEnearney Associates where he found his professional home and stayed for the rest of his life. He handled both residential and commercial properties, focusing on the latter.

Following in his mother's footsteps, he was appointed in 1986 to the Board of Architectural Review where he served for twenty-eight years, twenty-five of those as Chairman. It was with the BAR that Tom found full expression of his talents. His extensive knowledge of Alexandria and his innate understanding of the emotional interests of both property owners and developers made him a very good steward for balancing the preservation of Alexandria's nationally significant architectural and cultural history against the pro-development pressures of a modern, living city.

Tom had many interests; he was a good cook, enjoyed painting, and always watched or listened to his beloved Washington Redskins. Duck and goose hunting on the Eastern Shore and kayaking the Potomac River were favorite activities. However, his great passion was polo and associated equestrian activities. It all began when he signed himself up for riding lessons at Woodlawn Stables where polo matches were held on Sundays. As his riding skills improved, he eventually joined the polo team. Tom enjoyed many years of playing polo both in Great Britain (with the British royal family) and in the U. S. His second passion was Fox Hunting in the Virginia Piedmont, eventually serving as the President of the Fairfax Hunt. In later life he purchased two racehorses and participated as an owner in steeplechase and turf racing.

Tom belonged to many groups, especially the Alexandria Kiwanis and the Alexandria Businessmen's Club. He was one of those people who are "larger than life." Outgoing, interested in the world around him, and savvy. He was widely known and for years he was referred to as Alexandria's unofficial mayor. He was a fixture at Landini Brothers Restaurant where a salad on their menu was inspired by and named for him. Of special note is the Old Dominion Boat Club where in his waning days he was surrounded by fellowship, support and love. The family wishes to thank the ODBC and all who enveloped him with devoted care and affection at the end. He will be missed by a legion of friends.

Tom and his first wife, Sandra Sisson, had three children and later divorced. His second wife, Susan Southgate, died in 1979. He is survived by his two sons Thomas ("Chip") Andrew Hulfish IV and Charles Stewart Hulfish and his daughter Holly Elizabeth Hulfish. He is also survived by six grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren and by his sister Sherry Hulfish Browne, her husband Hendrik, and his niece Polly Browne Bainbridge (Ben) of London.

Funeral services will be held Sunday, September 21st at 1pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 228 S. Pitt Street, Alexandria, Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Old Dominion Boat Club Foundation, 0 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, www.OldDominionBoatClub.com/foundation or the Historic Alexandria Foundation, 218 N. Lee Street, Suite 310, Alexandria, VA 22314.