BURTON SAPIN

Burton Malcolm Sapin  
A longtime Washington, DC, resident and devoted father, grandfather, and spouse, died in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, at the age of 93 on December 13, 2020. Born and raised in the Bronx, NY, Burt served in the Navy at the end of WWII after graduation from Columbia University. After the war, Burt received his Ph.D. from Princeton University. A political scientist and scholar in the field of International Relations, he served at the State Department during the Kennedy Administration, but spent most of his career in academia. Burt's collaborative academic work in the 1950s and 1960s is widely credited with initiating the field of US foreign policy studies. He spent a significant part of his career at George Washington University as Dean of the School of Public and International Affairs, now the Elliott School of International Affairs. Although his scholarship revolved primarily around US foreign policy, he had a longstanding interest in Japan and love of Japanese culture; he maintained connections with Japanese friends, colleagues, and former students throughout his life.Burt remained an avid reader and observer of world affairs, but in his later years he turned his attention increasingly to family and the joys of friendship, good food, and music. He was also an avid sports fan, staying true to his Giants in both baseball and football, and recently becoming a Miami Heat fan. He attended many Griefer Family Circles over the years, regaling young and old with stories from the early years of the family in New York. He was always eager for news of his five grandchildren and loved hearing about their burgeoning interests and careers. Burt's devotion as a father was deep and never faltered. He unswervingly focused on the issue at hand and calmly provided rational advice when asked. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Bennett of Palm Beach Gardens, FL., his daughter, Julia Sapin of Bellingham, WA, and his son, David Sapin of Chevy Chase, MD. Memorial service to be scheduled at a later date.