Renowned for “taking his own line” in the hunting field and described by friends as “utterly fearless,” the venerable J. Fife Symington, Jr., Glyndon, Md., died in December at age 97.

Born in Baltimore, Md., Mr. Symington graduated from Princeton University (N.J.) in 1933. In 1934 he joined Pan American World Airways and was instrumental in bringing the first international flights to the East Coast.

A staunch Republican, Mr. Symington ran for the U.S. Congress unsuccessfully in 1958, 1960 and 1962.