Albert Jonsen

1931 - 2020

Albert Rupert Jonsen

Albert R. Jonsen, a founder of the field of bioethics, age 89, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2020 at his home in San Francisco after a brief illness.
A native of San Francisco, San Francisco, Al was born to Albert R. and Helen Sweigert Jonsen in 1931Al graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles, joined the Society of Jesus and in 1962 was ordained a Catholic priest. After his training and teaching philosophy at Loyola University (now Loyola Marymount) in Los Angeles, he taught theology at the University of San Francisco. He received a doctorate in religious studies from Yale University in 1967 and was chosen as president of the University of San Francisco in 1969. In 1972 he was invited to join the medical faculty of the University of California to initiate courses in medical ethics. Al was granted a papal dispensation from his vows in 1976 and married Mary Elizabeth Carolan (Liz). In 1978 President Ford appointed him to the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research and he served on the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine. In 1987 Jonsen assumed the chairmanship of the Department of Medical History and Ethics, School of Medicine, University of Washington until his retirement in 2003. He spent his final academic year as the first Visiting Professor of Bioethics at Yale University, then returned to San Francisco and cofounded with William Andereck, his good friend and personal physician, the Program in Medicine and Human Values at California Pacific Medical Center. He taught a variety of courses in ethics, bioethics and religious history at the Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning.
Jonsen authored innumerable articles and leading books in the emerging field of Bioethics. In 2009, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute for Bioethics honored Al with the Meyerhoff Award for Leadership in Bioethics. He was awarded the Henry Knowles Beecher Award for contributions to ethics and the life sciences in 2017.
Albert Jonsen was a devoted husband, a loving brother, a role model for his nieces and nephews, and a loyal friend. His family and friends recall his sketches, stories, and limericks of mythical places and characters, inspired by Al and Liz's extensive global travel. Family gatherings were incomplete without tales of their travels told in flawless dialect. Al loved sailing with Liz and often recalled a memorable voyage on the Mediterranean with Liz's brother Tom. Al was a wonderful conversationalist whether the topic was philosophy, history, or the weather. He loved fine cuisine and wine and was a patron of the arts.
Al leaves his wife of 46 years, Mary Elizabeth (Carolan); his brothers Richard of Denver, CO and Robert (Cecile) of Novato, CA; his sister Ann Marie Carrick of Concord, CA and many nieces and nephews. He will be missed by his family and all who knew him.
A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated in St. Ignatius Church, San Francisco followed by a Celebration of Life at a later date.