By Peter J. Rubin, Professor of Law, Georgetown University; Founder, the American Constitution Society.
Father Robert F. Drinan, an outstanding leader, a great man, and a dear friend of ACS, died Sunday afternoon in Washington at the age of 86. Father Drinan’s lifelong passion for justice should be an inspiration to us all. A Jesuit priest, he served from 1956 to 1971 as Dean of the Boston College Law School. In 1971, Father Drinan was elected to the United States Congress from Massachusetts. He served as Chair of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee and was sponsor of the first resolution calling for the Impeachment of President Richard Nixon. He was also, despite his deep personal moral opposition to abortion, a steadfast supporter of a woman’s legal right to choose. In 1980, Pope John Paul II decreed that Catholic Priests could not hold elective office. Father Drinan did not run for another term, announcing “with regret and pain” that he would not seek re-election; his seat was won by Barney Frank, who still holds it today. Father Drinan returned to his alma mater, Georgetown University, becoming a Professor of Law, an appointment he held until his death. He served on the Boards of a number of organizations, from the Council for a Livable World to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund to Americans for Democratic Action. He taught courses in International Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Ethics; he was the author of more than ten books and innumerable law review articles; he was the recipient of twenty-two honorary degrees, as well as the 2004 American Bar Association (ABA) Medal and the 2006 Congressional Distinguished Service Award, those institutions’ highest honors.
Father Drinan was an extraordinary human being. My first memories of him are from my childhood: He was my Congressman while I was growing up in Massachusetts, and a deeply beloved figure in Newton, a city which he represented and in which I lived. While I was in elementary school and Father Drinan was running for re-election, I made a large “Drinan” sign and hung it out a classroom window on Election Day, though it was taken down because it was too close to the polling place in the school gymnasium. I met him only much later, when I joined the faculty at Georgetown, where I had the extraordinary privilege of serving as his colleague, and the deeper honor of considering him a friend.
In person, he was more than a match for his reputation. Bob was remarkable for his humanity. When meeting someone new, his questions would always turn to the person’s family: their parents, their children, their spouse or significant other. He would always ask about loved ones, remembering casual remarks from conversations months before. In this, you could see that, while he was a lawyer, politician, and activist, he was, first, a priest, a pastor in the best sense of that word.
Father Drinan was a great friend of ACS, from the very moment it was launched at Georgetown in 1999 when it was called the Madison Society. He was a speaker at ACS events and a supporter of its mission. He would often greet me in one of the hallways at Georgetown, calling out “Mr. Madison” in his booming voice, and inquiring about the Society’s progress. His passion for justice and his work seeking recognition and respect for the essential dignity of every human being was unflagging. His voice will be deeply missed. His presence will be missed even more.
I'm a GULC graduate (JD '89). Father Drinan was a revered figure among the progressive students at Georgetown in those days. He was also a personal hero because of his opposition to the VietNam war and his other principled positions. I was very sad to learn of his death. He was one of the few reasons I am ever proud of my GULC degree.