Robert Frederick Drinan was a Jesuit priest, lawyer, human rights activist, and Democratic US Representative from Massachusetts.
26 Facts About Robert Drinan
2.
Robert Drinan was a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center for the last 26 years of his life.
3.
Robert Drinan grew up in Hyde Park, Massachusetts, the son of Ann Mary and James John Robert Drinan.
4.
Robert Drinan graduated from Hyde Park High School in 1938.
5.
Robert Drinan studied in Florence for two years before returning to Boston, where he was admitted to the bar in 1956.
6.
Robert Drinan served as dean of the Boston College Law School from 1956 until 1970, during which time he taught as a professor of family law and church-state relations.
7.
Robert Drinan served on several Massachusetts state commissions convened to study legal issues such as judicial salaries and lawyer conflicts of interest.
8.
In 1970, Drinan sought a seat in Congress on an anti-Vietnam War platform, narrowly defeating longtime Representative Philip J Philbin, who was serving on the House Armed Services Committee, in the Democratic primary.
9.
Robert Drinan went on to win election to the House of Representatives, and was re-elected four times, serving from 1971 until 1981.
10.
Robert Drinan was the first of two Roman Catholic priests to serve as a voting member of Congress.
11.
Robert Drinan sat on various House committees, and served as the chair of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice of the House Judiciary Committee.
12.
Robert Drinan was a delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention.
13.
Robert Drinan introduced a resolution in July 1973 calling for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, though not for the Watergate Scandal that ultimately ended Nixon's presidency.
14.
Robert Drinan attempted to reconcile his position with official Church doctrine by stating that while he was personally opposed to abortion, considering it "virtual infanticide," its legality was a separate issue from its morality.
15.
Robert Drinan taught at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, from 1981 to 2007, where his academic work and classes focused on legal ethics and international human rights.
16.
Robert Drinan privately sponsored human rights missions to countries such as Chile, the Philippines, El Salvador, and Vietnam.
17.
Robert Drinan regularly contributed to law reviews and journals, and authored several books including The Mobilization of Shame: A World View of Human Rights, published by Yale University Press in 2001.
18.
Robert Drinan continued to be a vocal supporter of abortion rights, much to the ire of some of the Catholic hierarchy, and notably spoke out in support of President Bill Clinton's veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in 1996.
19.
Robert Drinan died of pneumonia and congestive heart failure on January 28,2007, in Washington, DC.
20.
Robert Drinan's passing is a terrible loss for the community, the country and the world.
21.
When we say that Boston College Law School educates 'lawyers who lead good lives,' we need look no further than Father Robert Drinan to understand what those words mean.
22.
Robert Drinan served as a member of the American Bar Association House of Delegates until his death and was chair of the ABA Section on Individual Rights and Responsibilities.
23.
In 2004, Robert Drinan received the ABA Medal, the organization's highest honor for distinguished service in law.
24.
On May 10,2006, Robert Drinan was presented the Distinguished Service Award by then Speaker Dennis Hastert and then Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on behalf of the House of Representatives.
25.
Robert Drinan served on the Board of Directors of People for the American Way, the International League for Human Rights, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, the International Labor Rights Fund, Americans for Democratic Action, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
26.
Robert Drinan was elected to the Common Cause National Governing Board in 1981 and 1997.