Our History: Featured Alumni/ae: Auchincloss, Louis S., 1941

Author

Louis Auchincloss was born in Lawrence, New York in 1917. He attended Groton School and Yale University, where he was editor of the Yale Literary Magazine. Although he did not complete his undergraduate studies at Yale, he was admitted to and attended law school at the University of Virginia. He graduated in 1941 and was admitted to the New York bar the same year. Auchincloss was an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell from 1941 to 1951. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. From 1951 to 1954 he pursued writing full-time but returned to the law as a wills and trusts attorney at Hawkins, Delafield and Wood in New York City, first as an associate from 1954–58 and then as a partner from 1958–86.

Auchincloss authored more than sixty books, all while continuing to practice law until 1987. He was best-known for his portrayals of New York and New England’s high society. Among his works are The House of Five Talents (1960), Portrait in Brownstone (1962), The Rector of Justin (1964), a finalist for the National Book Award, The Embezzler (1966), Honorable Men (1985), Diary of a Yuppie (1986), East Side Story (2004), and The Headmaster’s Dilemma (2007). Mr. Auchincloss also served as president and chairman of the Museum of the City of New York and chairman of the City Hall Restoration Committee. He was the recipient of honorary degrees from New York University, Pace University, and the University of the South. He was a member and one-time president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He also received a National Medal of Arts in 2005. Auchincloss died in Manhattan on January 26, 2010.