About James David Barber

James David Barber was born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1930. He earned a bachelor's and master's degree in political science from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. from Yale. In 1972, Dr. Barber became Chair of the Political Science department at Duke University, where he taught for many years. His interest and efforts in human rights activities earned him the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Amnesty International USA. He has also served on the boards of the Center for Public Integrity, the Committee to Rescue Liberian Children and the Association to Unite the Democracies. Dr. Barber died on September 12, 2004 at his home in North Carolina.  An obituary from the Washington Post can be read here. 

Last Updated by ACH 3/04/08 
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