Bissell Jenkins Middleton

Bissell Jenkins "Jenks" Middleton, a distinguished attorney, public servant, and dedicated community leader, passed away on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at the age of 98.
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, on September 6, 1926, Jenks was a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, Princeton University—where he earned his A.B. summa cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa—and Harvard Law School.
Jenks' career spanned over six decades, beginning in private practice in New York before entering public service with the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Division. He went on to serve as a Vice President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, where he played a key role in financing defense and commercial exports during a pivotal period in U.S. trade policy. In 1969, Jenks returned to private practice in Washington, DC. specializing in international trade, investment, and finance law.
Deeply involved in civic life, Jenks served as President of the Washington Foreign Law Society and Vice President of The Foreign Policy Discussion Group, and was a devoted Democratic precinct captain. He served on the Board of New England College in Henniker, NH and remained active in alumni associations of his alma maters.
Jenks married Lydia Biddle in 1964 and they lived in Great Falls, Virginia for most of their married life. Jenks could often be found casting a rod in Nantucket, on the Deschutes River in Oregon, or in Friends Creek in Maryland. Jenks is survived by his two daughters, Lydia S. Middleton and Jennifer J. Middleton, grandsons Spencer, William, and Edward Reed, and great grandsons Thomas and Phineas Reed.
A memorial service will be planned at a later date.