Jeffrey O’Connell ’51

Jeffrey O’Connell ’51, widely admired as a giant of insurance law reform, virtuoso classroom teacher and scholar whose work had a direct impact on people’s lives, died on January 6 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Jeff conceived and actively championed the concept of no-fault insurance. In this approach auto accident victims forego potentially large payments for pain and suffering in return for expedited payment of reimbursement for medical and auto repair costs. More recently, Jeff fought to apply similar laws to medical malpractice cases, which the trial bar has vigorously opposed. Jeff spent 32 years at the University of Virginia Law School, where he was the Samuel H. McCoy II Professor of Law. Previously he taught at the universities of Iowa and Illinois. He was a visiting professor at numerous universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. He received two Guggenheim Fellowships and was honored by the American Bar Association with its Robert McKay Award. He wrote or co-wrote 12 books on insurance law. At Dartmouth Jeff was a member of Psi Upsilon, Casque & Gauntlet and Phi Beta Kappa. He served as president of his class, Green Key and Palaeopitus. He received best actor awards while performing for the Dartmouth Players. He attended the Harvard Law School and served in the U.S. Air Force in Korea from 1954 to 1957. Jeff’s wife, Virginia, died in 1994. He is survived by two children, four grandchildren, a sister and brother Tom ’50, with whom he has written several books, most recently Five 20th Century College Presidents: From Butler to Bok (Plus Summers).