Richard Lawrence Grand-Jean

Richard Lawrence Grand-Jean died January 16, 2026.

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, Rick was devoted as well to his many close friends. He was wise, decent, a fierce believer in social justice, a towering and resilient spirit in the face of relentless illness during his last chapter.

Born August 4, 1942, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Fred and Esther Grand-Jean, along with his beloved identical twin Steven, he graduated from Clayton High School in 1960, Princeton in 1964, and the University of Chicago Law School in 1967. He helped create the London office of the Salomon Brothers Investment Bank and later became a partner in the firm. He worked in the 1968 McCarthy presidential campaign, was a founder of Democrats Abroad in London, a founder of the influential local newspaper The Santa Barbara Independent, and led a life of political activism to the end. Rick was an avid tennis player with a mean American twist serve, a huge fan of the Chelsea Football Club, a born storyteller, polymath intellect, and voracious reader. He married the journalist Christine Doudna in 1983, had two magnificent children, Molly and Michael, and lived the second half of his life in New York City and on Martha’s Vineyard. He had a gift for deep and lasting friendship, a sparkling wit, a great love of life. In addition to his wife and children, he leaves behind two adored grandsons, Beckett and Hugo, his brother Steven and sister Mimi, and many nephews and nieces. He also leaves a world bereft of his passion to make it better.

We will carry him in our hearts forever.

A celebration of Rick’s life will be held this summer on Martha’s Vineyard.  Donations in his memory may be made to the Martha’s Vineyard Community Services or the Martha’s Vineyard Dialysis Center.