John Chapman "Chips" Chester, 80, died peacefully at home on July 9, having been diagnosed with brain cancer.
He was born and raised in Milwaukee and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, attended Milwaukee Country Day School, Phillips Exeter Academy, Princeton University, and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. As an undergraduate, he majored in German and English literature, participated in Théatre Intime and the Triangle Club, and was unanimously voted "Most Unconscious Member" by his senior class. Mr. Chester became an enlisted man in the Army in 1953. His division was set to deploy to Korea when the war ended and he was reassigned to occupied Germany to oversee war crimes prisoners. After marriage to Clara Paige Mills of Chevy Chase, Maryland in 1956, his career in the Foreign Service led him to stations in Germany, Yugoslavia, and Malawi, where he served as chargé d'affaires and received an award for "heroic services" from the Malawi government.
A career switch in 1970 moved Mr. Chester to Capitol Hill where he worked for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives serving under, among others, Peter Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Clement Zablocki (D-WI), and Dante Fascell (D-FL). He was the staff facilitator of numerous House and Senate interparliamentary conferences with Europe, Mexico, and Canada, and undertook Committee missions to Asia and Africa in the early 1970s evaluating Peace Corp operations, a subject on which he was a recognized expert. He wrote an autobiography entitled From Foggy Bottom to Capitol Hill: Exploits of a GI, Diplomat and Congressional Aide.
In addition to devotedly serving Princeton's Class of '52, Chester was an avid equestrian. After his retirement in 1987, he took horseback tours through many countries of the world, including Mongolia, Argentina, Latvia, South Africa, New Zealand, Iceland, as well as several European countries and US states.
He was a member of the Fairfax Hunt, serving a term as President, and owned horses competing in international events.
He is survived by siblings Marion Read and William Chester, by three children, John Chester, Isabelle Chester, and Charles Chester, by seven grandchildren, and four horses. Services will be at All Saints Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland at 2pm on Friday, July 16. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the International Crisis Group (www.crisisgroup.org) or Lift Me Up! (www.liftmeup.org).
From Jan Byyny, who successfully competed several of Mr. Chester's horses:
Chips owned Task Force, Syd Kent and Why Not for me. He also kept a couple hunt horses, Max and Clementine, at Surefire, and was a big part of the Surefire Horse Trials. Chips had always been an avid supporter of horses and the hunt, and he helped make my international dreams a possibility through his generous support. In 2003, when I was faced with selling my Advanced horse, Task Force, Chips bought him for me and supported us for the rest of Task Force's career. He went on to compete at Badminton, Blenheim and Kentucky, was an alternate for the Athens Olympics and the highest place American horse at the World Cup in Malmo Sweden, won the 3-star at Jersey Fresh, and competed as an individual at the World Games in Aachen, Germany among other accomplishments.
After all we had done with Task Force, Chips bought Syd Kent for me in 2007, telling me that if I was going to go for it, now was the time because I wasn't getting any younger! I might have been insulted, but Chips was right. Syd has had an impressive career so far, and his young horse, Why Not, bought for me as a five-year-old, is about to move to Intermediate after a very competitive lower-level career.
Chips never shied away from coming to watch his horses, and whatever the weather and no matter how far he had to travel, he was always there to cheer us on. He was a real character with a huge heart, and is deeply missed.
He was born and raised in Milwaukee and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, attended Milwaukee Country Day School, Phillips Exeter Academy, Princeton University, and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. As an undergraduate, he majored in German and English literature, participated in Théatre Intime and the Triangle Club, and was unanimously voted "Most Unconscious Member" by his senior class. Mr. Chester became an enlisted man in the Army in 1953. His division was set to deploy to Korea when the war ended and he was reassigned to occupied Germany to oversee war crimes prisoners. After marriage to Clara Paige Mills of Chevy Chase, Maryland in 1956, his career in the Foreign Service led him to stations in Germany, Yugoslavia, and Malawi, where he served as chargé d'affaires and received an award for "heroic services" from the Malawi government.
A career switch in 1970 moved Mr. Chester to Capitol Hill where he worked for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives serving under, among others, Peter Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Clement Zablocki (D-WI), and Dante Fascell (D-FL). He was the staff facilitator of numerous House and Senate interparliamentary conferences with Europe, Mexico, and Canada, and undertook Committee missions to Asia and Africa in the early 1970s evaluating Peace Corp operations, a subject on which he was a recognized expert. He wrote an autobiography entitled From Foggy Bottom to Capitol Hill: Exploits of a GI, Diplomat and Congressional Aide.
In addition to devotedly serving Princeton's Class of '52, Chester was an avid equestrian. After his retirement in 1987, he took horseback tours through many countries of the world, including Mongolia, Argentina, Latvia, South Africa, New Zealand, Iceland, as well as several European countries and US states.
He was a member of the Fairfax Hunt, serving a term as President, and owned horses competing in international events.
He is survived by siblings Marion Read and William Chester, by three children, John Chester, Isabelle Chester, and Charles Chester, by seven grandchildren, and four horses. Services will be at All Saints Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland at 2pm on Friday, July 16. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the International Crisis Group (www.crisisgroup.org) or Lift Me Up! (www.liftmeup.org).
From Jan Byyny, who successfully competed several of Mr. Chester's horses:
Chips owned Task Force, Syd Kent and Why Not for me. He also kept a couple hunt horses, Max and Clementine, at Surefire, and was a big part of the Surefire Horse Trials. Chips had always been an avid supporter of horses and the hunt, and he helped make my international dreams a possibility through his generous support. In 2003, when I was faced with selling my Advanced horse, Task Force, Chips bought him for me and supported us for the rest of Task Force's career. He went on to compete at Badminton, Blenheim and Kentucky, was an alternate for the Athens Olympics and the highest place American horse at the World Cup in Malmo Sweden, won the 3-star at Jersey Fresh, and competed as an individual at the World Games in Aachen, Germany among other accomplishments.
After all we had done with Task Force, Chips bought Syd Kent for me in 2007, telling me that if I was going to go for it, now was the time because I wasn't getting any younger! I might have been insulted, but Chips was right. Syd has had an impressive career so far, and his young horse, Why Not, bought for me as a five-year-old, is about to move to Intermediate after a very competitive lower-level career.
Chips never shied away from coming to watch his horses, and whatever the weather and no matter how far he had to travel, he was always there to cheer us on. He was a real character with a huge heart, and is deeply missed.
John Chapman "Chips" Chester, 80, died peacefully at home on July 9, having been diagnosed with brain cancer.
He was born and raised in Milwaukee and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, attended Milwaukee Country Day School, Phillips Exeter Academy, Princeton University, and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. As an undergraduate, he majored in German and English literature, participated in Théatre Intime and the Triangle Club, and was unanimously voted "Most Unconscious Member" by his senior class. Mr. Chester became an enlisted man in the Army in 1953. His division was set to deploy to Korea when the war ended and he was reassigned to occupied Germany to oversee war crimes prisoners. After marriage to Clara Paige Mills of Chevy Chase, Maryland in 1956, his career in the Foreign Service led him to stations in Germany, Yugoslavia, and Malawi, where he served as chargé d'affaires and received an award for "heroic services" from the Malawi government.
A career switch in 1970 moved Mr. Chester to Capitol Hill where he worked for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives serving under, among others, Peter Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Clement Zablocki (D-WI), and Dante Fascell (D-FL). He was the staff facilitator of numerous House and Senate interparliamentary conferences with Europe, Mexico, and Canada, and undertook Committee missions to Asia and Africa in the early 1970s evaluating Peace Corp operations, a subject on which he was a recognized expert. He wrote an autobiography entitled From Foggy Bottom to Capitol Hill: Exploits of a GI, Diplomat and Congressional Aide.
In addition to devotedly serving Princeton's Class of '52, Chester was an avid equestrian. After his retirement in 1987, he took horseback tours through many countries of the world, including Mongolia, Argentina, Latvia, South Africa, New Zealand, Iceland, as well as several European countries and US states.
He was a member of the Fairfax Hunt, serving a term as President, and owned horses competing in international events.
He is survived by siblings Marion Read and William Chester, by three children, John Chester, Isabelle Chester, and Charles Chester, by seven grandchildren, and four horses. Services will be at All Saints Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland at 2pm on Friday, July 16. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the International Crisis Group (www.crisisgroup.org) or Lift Me Up! (www.liftmeup.org).
From Jan Byyny, who successfully competed several of Mr. Chester's horses:
Chips owned Task Force, Syd Kent and Why Not for me. He also kept a couple hunt horses, Max and Clementine, at Surefire, and was a big part of the Surefire Horse Trials. Chips had always been an avid supporter of horses and the hunt, and he helped make my international dreams a possibility through his generous support. In 2003, when I was faced with selling my Advanced horse, Task Force, Chips bought him for me and supported us for the rest of Task Force's career. He went on to compete at Badminton, Blenheim and Kentucky, was an alternate for the Athens Olympics and the highest place American horse at the World Cup in Malmo Sweden, won the 3-star at Jersey Fresh, and competed as an individual at the World Games in Aachen, Germany among other accomplishments.
After all we had done with Task Force, Chips bought Syd Kent for me in 2007, telling me that if I was going to go for it, now was the time because I wasn't getting any younger! I might have been insulted, but Chips was right. Syd has had an impressive career so far, and his young horse, Why Not, bought for me as a five-year-old, is about to move to Intermediate after a very competitive lower-level career.
Chips never shied away from coming to watch his horses, and whatever the weather and no matter how far he had to travel, he was always there to cheer us on. He was a real character with a huge heart, and is deeply missed.
He was born and raised in Milwaukee and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, attended Milwaukee Country Day School, Phillips Exeter Academy, Princeton University, and Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. As an undergraduate, he majored in German and English literature, participated in Théatre Intime and the Triangle Club, and was unanimously voted "Most Unconscious Member" by his senior class. Mr. Chester became an enlisted man in the Army in 1953. His division was set to deploy to Korea when the war ended and he was reassigned to occupied Germany to oversee war crimes prisoners. After marriage to Clara Paige Mills of Chevy Chase, Maryland in 1956, his career in the Foreign Service led him to stations in Germany, Yugoslavia, and Malawi, where he served as chargé d'affaires and received an award for "heroic services" from the Malawi government.
A career switch in 1970 moved Mr. Chester to Capitol Hill where he worked for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives serving under, among others, Peter Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Clement Zablocki (D-WI), and Dante Fascell (D-FL). He was the staff facilitator of numerous House and Senate interparliamentary conferences with Europe, Mexico, and Canada, and undertook Committee missions to Asia and Africa in the early 1970s evaluating Peace Corp operations, a subject on which he was a recognized expert. He wrote an autobiography entitled From Foggy Bottom to Capitol Hill: Exploits of a GI, Diplomat and Congressional Aide.
In addition to devotedly serving Princeton's Class of '52, Chester was an avid equestrian. After his retirement in 1987, he took horseback tours through many countries of the world, including Mongolia, Argentina, Latvia, South Africa, New Zealand, Iceland, as well as several European countries and US states.
He was a member of the Fairfax Hunt, serving a term as President, and owned horses competing in international events.
He is survived by siblings Marion Read and William Chester, by three children, John Chester, Isabelle Chester, and Charles Chester, by seven grandchildren, and four horses. Services will be at All Saints Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland at 2pm on Friday, July 16. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the International Crisis Group (www.crisisgroup.org) or Lift Me Up! (www.liftmeup.org).
From Jan Byyny, who successfully competed several of Mr. Chester's horses:
Chips owned Task Force, Syd Kent and Why Not for me. He also kept a couple hunt horses, Max and Clementine, at Surefire, and was a big part of the Surefire Horse Trials. Chips had always been an avid supporter of horses and the hunt, and he helped make my international dreams a possibility through his generous support. In 2003, when I was faced with selling my Advanced horse, Task Force, Chips bought him for me and supported us for the rest of Task Force's career. He went on to compete at Badminton, Blenheim and Kentucky, was an alternate for the Athens Olympics and the highest place American horse at the World Cup in Malmo Sweden, won the 3-star at Jersey Fresh, and competed as an individual at the World Games in Aachen, Germany among other accomplishments.
After all we had done with Task Force, Chips bought Syd Kent for me in 2007, telling me that if I was going to go for it, now was the time because I wasn't getting any younger! I might have been insulted, but Chips was right. Syd has had an impressive career so far, and his young horse, Why Not, bought for me as a five-year-old, is about to move to Intermediate after a very competitive lower-level career.
Chips never shied away from coming to watch his horses, and whatever the weather and no matter how far he had to travel, he was always there to cheer us on. He was a real character with a huge heart, and is deeply missed.
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