On Tuesday evening, November 7, Professor Joseph Singer was awarded the Bussey Professor of Law chair. Introduced by Dean Elena Kagan, Professor Singer marked the occasion with a speech titled, “Things That We Would Like to Take for Granted: Minimum Standards for the Legal Framework of a Free and Democratic Society.”
The Bussey chair is the law school’s second oldest professorship, first granted to Asahel Stearns in 1817. The chair’s namesake, Benjamin Bussey, established the professorship “to promote that branch of education which lies at the foundation of wise legislation, and which tends to ensure a pure and uniform administration of justice.” Most recently, the Bussey chair was held by Frank Sander ’52.
Singer joined the HLS Faculty in 1992, and has written extensively in the fields of property, conflict of laws and American Indian law. Recently he played a key role in updating Felix Cohen’s “Handbook of Federal Indian Law,” widely considered a definitive text in the field. Singer holds a bachelor’s degree from Williams College, a master’s degree in political science from Harvard, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He began his teaching career at Boston University’s School of Law in 1984.
To view a webcast of the chair lecture, please click here. Real Player required.
A complete copy of Professor Singer’s lecture is available here.