David Patrick Calleo

Calleo

David Patrick Calleo

David Patrick Calleo, Professor Emeritus at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), died at home on June 15, 2023, at age 88. He was director of the SAIS European Studies Department from its creation in 1968 until 2012 and Dean Acheson Professor of European Studies at SAIS with the title of University Professor until his retirement in 2018.



Calleo authored numerous books and articles on subjects ranging from the international economy to U.S. foreign policy, transatlantic relations and the history of ideas. These included America and the World Political Economy (1973, coauthored with Benjamin Rowland); The German Problem Reconsidered (1978); Beyond American Hegemony (1987). Most recently, The Follies of Power: America's Unipolar Fantasy (2009) was a trenchant critique of the ambitions and self-delusions of American policy in the 1990's. Many of Calleo's books were written at his property on the Italian island of Elba where he spent summers starting in the 1970's. For 50 years, Casa Fangati was a beloved gathering place for family, friends, colleagues and former students.



Calleo was born in Binghamton, NY on July 19, 1934, the son of Gertrude Crowe and Patrick Calleo. After attending schools in Endicott, NY, he went on to receive a BA and a PhD from Yale University. While at Yale, he became a life-long and dedicated member of Manuscript Society. Before moving to SAIS in 1968, he taught at Brown University and Yale and worked briefly at the State Department.



He is survived by his wife of over 40 years, Avis T. Bohlen, a career diplomat who served as Ambassador to Bulgaria and Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control; by his brother Patrick, a former opera singer, his nephew Curtiss and his niece Elizabeth.



Funeral services will be private. A commemmorative event will be held in the fall.