Obituary: John Edward Donaldson

Retired William & Mary Law School professor John Edward Donaldson died Sept. 20. He was 84.

Born in Richmond, Mr. Donaldson graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Richmond in 1960. Three years later, he earned his law degree from the College of William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law. Mr. Donaldson went on to attend Georgetown University, where he earned a master’s degree in law in 1966.

Mr. Donaldson joined the faculty at William & Mary in 1966, following work in the office of chief counsel of the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C. At age 30, he was named an assistant college vice president and was named assistant dean of the law school in 1970.

That same year, Mr. Donaldson became a full professor, teaching tax law, trusts, and estates. He earned honors for his classroom instruction and was a popular professor, receiving the Thomas A. Graves Teaching Award in 1988 and the Walter L. Williams Jr. law school teaching award in 1993.

Mr. Donaldson retired from William & Mary as the Ball Professor of Law in 2001. That same year, he received William & Mary’s Thomas Jefferson Award, given to members of the college community who best exemplify the spirit of former president Thomas Jefferson, who was a member of the college’s Class of 1762.

The college further honored Mr. Donaldson by dedicating the John E. Donaldson Classroom, a state-of-the-art technical classroom, in his honor in 2014.

Outside of the classroom, Mr. Donaldson worked in leadership roles with the Virginia Bar Association in various capacities. He also served in local leadership as a member of the James City County Board of Supervisors from 1971 to 1979, twice chairing the board. Additionally, he was a member of the county planning committee from 1977 to 1985 and the school board selection committee from 1981 to 1995.

Mr. Donaldson was also noted for his work on legislative reform for Virginia’s laws regarding incapacitated adults. He was a founding board member of Hospice of Williamsburg and served on the board of the Williamsburg Community Hospital.

Outside of work, Mr. Donaldson enjoyed volunteering at the Occasion for the Arts, a charity chaired by his late wife, Sue. He also enjoyed reading and traveling with his wife abroad and had a boundless affection for Labrador retrievers.

Mr. Donaldson is survived by his son, Ken; his daughters, Kiki and Jennifer; his brother, Robert; and seven grandchildren.