Philip Coolidge Brooks Jr.

Philip Coolidge Brooks, Jr. ("Phil"), 85, of Williamsburg, Virginia, passed away on August 2, 2026. Born December 1, 1940, in Washington, DC to Philip Coolidge Brooks Sr. and Dorothy Holland Brooks, Phil grew up in Alexandria, VA; Chevy Chase, MD; and Palo Alto, CA, and graduated from high school in Independence, Missouri in 1958 before attending the University of Kansas, where he was a lifelong member of Lambda Chi Alpha. While on scholarship at the University of Reading in England in 1965 he met Sue, an undergraduate he brought home to the United States where she became his devoted wife of 60 years.

A historian and archivist by career, Phil worked at the Smithsonian Institution before joining the National Archives, following in his father's footsteps, and rose to serve as a presidential historian, including as Historian of the Presidential Inaugural Committees of 1969, 1989, and 1993; he was also considered for Archivist of the United States in 1993. He later chaired the Alexandria 250th Anniversary Commission, work honored by the Virginia State Senate.

One of the foremost authorities on Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars, Phil helped found the Rolls-Royce Foundation and later served as its Historian, and was deeply active in the Rolls-Royce Owners' Club and Bentley Drivers Club.

Phil is survived by his wife, Sue; his son Tony and daughter-in-law Amanda; and his grandchildren, Finn, Zoe, and Colby. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial gifts to the Rolls-Royce Foundation.