Paul Wilbur Tappan (1911-1964)

Abstract

W ITH THE DEATH of Paul Wilbur Tappan on July 9, 1964, the Schools of Law and Criminology suffered a profound and untimely loss. This distinguished scholar, author, and teacher was taken from us at the threshold of his career at the University of California, but not before his talents and energies gave clear assurance of even greater achievement in public service and in his pursuit of learning. When he was invited to join the faculty at Berkeley in 1962, Paul Tappan was professor of sociology and law and Chairman of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of Washington Square College, New York University. He had received his Ph.D. degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin in 1935 and began his teaching career soon thereafter at Miami University of Ohio. Professor Tappan's academic training in the social sciences led to a deep and abiding interest in the study of criminal behavior and the treatment of the criminal offender. Not content with viewing these grave social problems from the viewpoint of a single discipline, he commenced the study of law, winning his LL.B. degree at New York University in 1943 and his J.S.D. at Columbia in 1945. The busy years that followed included teaching assignments at Queens College, University of Melbourne, and in summer session programs at the School of Criminology at Berkeley. During 1953-54, Professor Tappan was Chairman of the United States Board of Parole, a practical experience as rewarding to him as was his service on the Board of Managers of the New Jersey State Prison. He also served as a consultant and member of a legion of professional societies and groups. These include the United Nations Section on Social Defense, the American Correctional Association, the American Bar Association, and the Third International Congress of Criminology for which he was appointed United States National Reporter. Professor Tappan's term as Associate Reporter for the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code project resulted in a significant contribution to the development of the law in the areas of sentencing, treatment