John G. Palfrey

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

Early life Palfrey was born in Beacon Hill, Boston on March 12, 1919. John and his sisters were avid tennis players, with all five of his sisters winning a national junior title, including Sarah Palfrey Cooke, who won two singles, nine women's doubles, and four mixed doubles titles at the U.S. National Championships. and remained in that position under President Lyndon B. Johnson. She was a granddaughter of President Theodore Roosevelt and a daughter of Kermit Roosevelt. Their wedding was attended by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. Together, they were the parents of:

John "Sean" Gorham Palfrey III, who married Judith Swann Sullivan, both whom were professors of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School, respectively. Antonia "Tonia" Ford Palfrey (1954–2022), a poet, photographer and painter who was named for her ancestress Antonia Ford. She was engaged to photographer Richard Allan Perrini in 1982.

He died on October 28, 1979, at age 60 in Boston. Another grandson, Quentin Palfrey, currently serves as Deputy General Counsel at the United States Department of Commerce and was a Democratic candidate in the 2018 Massachusetts election for lieutenant governor.