Edward B. “Ned” Corcoran ’50

Edward B. “Ned” Corcoran ’50, of Middletown, R.I.; Jan. 25. After high school he enlisted in the Army and then attended Brown, where he played on the men’s basketball team. After graduating from law school, he practiced law at the firm of Corcoran Peckham & Hayes in Newport for almost 70 years, retiring at the age of 95 in 2022. The firm was founded by his father Edward (Brown 1919), who practiced until the age of 103. Ned also practiced with his brother Bill ’52 for more than 60 years, until Bill’s death in 2020 at the age of 91, and he practiced with his son, Edward J. Corcoran II ’79, for eight years until his son moved to Boston in 1991. He served on numerous municipal and charitable boards. He was president of the Middletown Town Council and was a founding member and past president of the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Newport. He and his wife Ruth cochaired two major capital campaigns for Newport Hospital and for St. Lucy’s Church in Middletown. He was instrumental in orchestrating a major land swap to preserve Sachuest Point as a wildlife refuge and to make Third Beach into a public beach. He also drove for Meals on Wheels. Up until last year, he could be seen swimming the buoy line every summer evening at Third Beach. He had a great sense of humor and was always quick with a joke. He enjoyed history, gardening, and art—most of his paintings were of Second and Third Beach and were displayed around his home. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Chatterton Corcoran ’49; six children and their spouses, including Ned II ’79; a daughter-in-law; a brother; 17 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and nieces Margaret Corcoran-Leys ’86 and Jane Corcoran ’91.