Hugo Bedau facts for kids

Hugo Adam Bedau (born September 23, 1926 – died August 13, 2012) was a well-known Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University. He is most famous for his important work and strong views on the death penalty. Many people called him a "leading anti-death-penalty scholar." He once said that serious criminals like Timothy McVeigh might deserve the death penalty. But he also believed that many others should only be sent to prison.

About Hugo Adam Bedau

Hugo Adam Bedau was a very smart thinker and writer. He spent much of his life studying and teaching about big ideas. He was especially interested in how justice works and if the death penalty is fair.

His Studies and Teaching

Hugo Bedau started his college studies in 1949 at the University of Redlands. He also studied at the naval training program at USC. Later, he earned his master's degree from Boston University in 1951. He then got his PhD from Harvard University in 1961.

After finishing his education, Bedau taught at several colleges. These included Dartmouth College, Princeton University, and Reed College. In 1966, he joined Tufts University, where he taught until he retired in 1999.

Fighting the Death Penalty

Hugo Bedau was a very important person in the fight against the death penalty. He helped start a group called the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. He was on its board of directors for many years, even serving as chairman. He also worked with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). For the ACLU, he wrote many articles about the death penalty.

Bedau wrote several important books about the death penalty. His most famous book was The Death Penalty in America. The first version came out in 1964, and the fourth version in 1997. Other books he wrote include:

• The Courts, the Constitution, and Capital Punishment (1977)
• Death is Different (1987)
• Killing as Punishment (2004)

He also helped write In Spite of Innocence (1992). Another professor, Norman Daniels, said that Bedau's book The Death Penalty in America was a great example. It showed how deep thinking in philosophy could help solve real-world problems.

Bedau also wrote about Civil Disobedience. This is the idea of peacefully refusing to obey certain laws as a way of protesting. He wrote a book called Civil Disobedience: Theory and Practice in 1969.

His Family Life

Hugo Bedau was married two times. His first wife was Jan Mastin. They had four children together, including a son named Mark Bedau, who also became a philosopher. His first marriage ended in divorce. In 1990, he married Constance E. Putnam. She was a historian who studied medicine.

See also

• American philosophy
• List of American philosophers