John Shattuck facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Shattuck
John Shattuck, inauguration as Central European University President and Rector. November 2, 2009
6th Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
In office June 2, 1993 – November 13, 1998
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Patricia Diaz Dennis
Succeeded by	Harold Hongju Koh
3rd United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic
In office October 22, 1998 – December 16, 2000
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Jenonne R. Walker
Succeeded by	Craig Roberts Stapleton
President and Rector of Central European University
In office 2009–2016
Preceded by	Yehuda Elkana
Succeeded by	Michael Ignatieff
Personal details
Born	1943 (age 81–82)
Alma mater	Yale University Clare College, Cambridge Yale Law School

John Howard Francis Shattuck (born 22 September 1943) is an expert in international law and a leader in human rights. He served as the fourth President and Rector of Central European University (CEU) from 2009 to 2016. Today, he is a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and teaches at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Biography

John Shattuck studied at Yale College, Clare College, Cambridge University, and Yale Law School. He earned degrees in 1965, 1967, and 1970. While at Yale, he was an active member of the Yale Russian Chorus.

Early Career and Human Rights Work

Shattuck began his career at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1971. The ACLU is an organization that works to protect the rights and freedoms of people in the United States. He served as the Executive Director of their Washington office. During this time, he worked on important cases involving civil rights.

From 1984 to 1993, he worked at Harvard University. He was the vice president for government and public affairs. He also taught at Harvard Law School.

Working for the U.S. Government

From 1993 to 1998, John Shattuck worked for the United States government. He was the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor under President Bill Clinton. In this role, he helped other countries become more democratic. He also worked to make sure human rights were respected around the world.

He played a key part in setting up special courts by the United Nations. These courts, called International Criminal Tribunals, were created to judge people responsible for serious crimes in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia. In 1995, he was the first international diplomat to reach survivors of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia. He helped gather evidence for the UN to take action. He also helped negotiate the Dayton Peace Agreement to end the war in Bosnia.

From 1998 to 2000, Shattuck was the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic. He helped the Czech government join NATO. He also helped them prepare to become a member of the European Union.

Leading Organizations and Universities

In 2001, John Shattuck became the Chief Executive Officer of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. This foundation supports the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. He also became a senior fellow at Tufts University in 2007, where he taught international relations.

In August 2009, he became the fourth President and Rector of Central European University (CEU). CEU is a university that aims to promote open societies. These are societies that respect human rights and the rule of law. He taught a course on U.S. foreign policy and human rights.

Under Shattuck's leadership, CEU started new programs. These included programs in cognitive science and network science. He also oversaw a big project to rebuild the university's campus in Budapest. CEU's academic programs were highly rated during his time there.

After seven years, Shattuck left CEU in 2016. In his honor, CEU created the Shattuck Center on Human Rights. He then became a professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He also became a senior fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. At Fletcher, he helped start a new master's degree program. At Harvard, he led a project about rights and responsibilities in the United States. This project led to a book he co-authored in 2022.

Recognition

John Shattuck has received several honorary degrees. These are special degrees given to people for their achievements. He received them from Kenyon College, the University of Rhode Island, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and the University of West Bohemia. He also received awards for his work in human rights and public service. In 2007, he was chosen to be a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.