JOHN HUTTON RIGGS JR.

MIDDLEBURY — John Hutton Riggs Jr. died peacefully at his residence on Aug. 28, 2024, in Middlebury, Vt. He is survived by his beloved wife, Leslie; two children, Emilie Laurent Riggs of Paris, France, and Jennifer Merer, of Versailles, France; and six grandchildren, Alex, Claire, Camille, Julien, Orianna and Naomi. He was predeceased by his son, Francis Lacoste Riggs.

John was born in 1936 in Plainfield, N.J., to Virginia Helen Butler and John Hutton Riggs. After John graduated from Yale University, he spent a summer at the French language school at Middlebury College. In 1958 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and flew off of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Franklin Roosevelt as it toured the Mediterranean as a member of Heavy Attack Squadron 11. After the Navy, John attended the University of Virginia law school.

John practiced corporate law at the international law firm of White & Case from 1967 until he retired in 2005. His work took him all over the globe, from South Africa to Turkey via Europe, where he resided for over 50 years. John headed the Paris office of White & Case from 1976 to 1990, and was a member of the White & Case worldwide management committee from 1990 to 1994. Until his retirement, John oversaw the integration of law firms in Germany and Italy

In Paris, John was elected to the influential Paris Bar Council, a rare achievement for a non-French lawyer. In 1998 John received one of France’s highest honors, the medal of l’Ordre National du Mérite for his service in the French legal profession.

John loved swimming and sailing, especially along the Turkish coast and the Greek islands, where he built a home on the island of Alonnisos. His greatest passion in life was learning and he was never without a book in his hand. Several weeks before passing, John declared he was very happy with life because “there is just so much to learn.” His niece, Victoria Thomson, wrote that “every conversation with John was like a college lecture and I wish I had been taking notes like a good student.”

After living many years overseas, John wanted to spend his final years in the United States. He and his wife, Leslie, bought a farm in Brandon, Vermont.

John will be terribly missed by his wife, family, friends and staff at The Residence at Otter Creek — and especially by his two dachshunds, Rimbaud and Fabuleuse Destin.

A celebration of life will be held in September at The Residence at Otter Creek. Later this year a memorial will be held in Paris, France.

Arrangements under the direction of Sanderson-Ducharme Funeral Home.

Online condolences at www.sandersonfuneralservice.com ◊