John N. Fulham Jr. - of Wellesley died in his home in Wellesley on the morning of Friday, October 9, 2009. He was 92 years old. Mr. Fulham was the son of the late John Norris Fulham and Mary Maloney Fulham of Wellesley, and husband of the late Margery Watson Fulham. He leaves his children, John III of Wellesley; Mary Margaret (Mrs. James Reynolds) of Brooklyn, NY; Timothy of Wellesley; Daniel of Newton; and Martha (Mrs. Steven Brennan) of Natick; 13 grandchildren; his sister Margaret Mullin of Osterville; and his long-time caregivers, Alex and Gisele Haven.
He was born on February 9, 1917, and raised in Winthrop. John, or Jack as he was affectionately known, attended St. John’s Preparatory School (1934) and graduated from Roxbury Latin in 1936. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College in 1940. He joined the Navy in 1942 and survived the sinking of the USS Strong, and the bombardment of the USS Norman Scott. After World War II, he worked for many years in a family-owned fishing business, and later became a partner in the investment firm Estabrook & Company. In 1969, he founded his own investment banking business, Fulham & Co., and was later joined in the business by his sons. Jack was a devout Catholic all his life and worshipped for many years at St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Chestnut Hill. He also had deep political convictions and was the chairman of President Kennedy’s campaign organization in Massachusetts in 1960. He once wrote that a man “must see himself in history as the heir to all the culture which has produced him with a genuine responsibility for achieving civic unity and building the future.” He maintained an active interest in politics and art throughout his life. He was also a devoted walker and was well known to denizens of the Fish Pier and the town of Wellesley for his elegant dress and determined stride. A life-long sailor, Jack founded the Star fleet in Boston Harbor with his brother Tom in 1935. He was also a founding member of the sailing team at Harvard College, and later raced at the Eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead and on the Cape at the Hyannisport Yacht Club.
Funeral from the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington Street (Rt. 16), WELLESLEY, Monday at 9 AM. Funeral Mass in St. Ignatius of Loyola Church, 28 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill at 10 AM. Relatives and friends kindly invited. Visiting hours at the Funeral Home, Sunday, October 11, 2-6 PM Interment Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley. Contributions in his memory may be made to St. Ignatius Church, 28 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3849.