In Memoriam: David C. Acheson

Our friend and former partner David C. Acheson passed away on August 16 at his home in Washington, D.C. from complications due to advanced spinal stenosis. He was 96.

David was a founding partner of Drinker Biddle & Reath’s Washington D.C. office. His legal career spanned for four decades, which included serving as a U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia in the 1960s, special assistant to Treasury Secretary Henry Fowler, and general counsel of the Communications Satellite Corp. (COMSAT).. In the 1980s, he was appointed to the government commission that investigated the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle. David was also a published author who wrote and edited books about the life and legacy of his father, former secretary of state, Dean Acheson.

A U.S. Navy veteran who served during World War II, David graduated from Yale University in 1943 and received his J.D. from Harvard University in 1948. His wife of 56 years, Patricia Castles, died in 2000. David is survived by his three children, Eldie Acheson of Washington and Bass River, Mass., David Acheson of New York City and Peter Acheson of Chatham, N.Y; a sister; and five grandchildren.

The Washington Post published a full obituary on David’s life here.

Our thoughts are with the Acheson family during this difficult time.