Peter Brian Reddaway

1939 - 2024

Peter Brian Reddaway, born in Cambridge, UK on September 18, 1939, died July 28, 2024 in Berlin, Vermont. He was 84 years old.
Peter's scholarship was broad and deep. He studied at King's College, Cambridge University, in England; Harvard University; Moscow State University; and the London School of Economics, where he became a lecturer. After moving to the United States in 1986, Peter directed the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute for Advanced Studies in Washington DC (1986-89) and then taught at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs (1989-2004), retiring as Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Relations. He mentored and taught hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, many of whom credit Peter's wise guidance and support with helping them launch their own careers in international policy. A giant in his field, colleagues and students agreed that he was a "unique moral voice for justice and decency." His courageous work on behalf of Russian dissidents earned him attention – both admiring and condemning – from government agencies at home and abroad. Peter had a way of speaking and writing that got the attention of people in power. He used that talent to help people whose voices needed to be amplified.
For those of us who knew him more personally, Peter's brilliance and generous heart were just as clear. When Peter asked a question, he was interested in the answer. From talking seriously with a young grandchild to meeting a new member of his church, Peter was always looking for ways to engage with and connect to the people around him. Sharing a meal with Peter might last two hours, because there were important issues to discuss about East European history, a new play or vocal concert he attended, or reminiscences from his travels with university friends in the early 1960s through Iran and Russia in a Land Rover. Peter's life was rich with interest and intellectual rigor, from his first days to his last. It was a joy to be in his circle.
Peter will be deeply missed by his three siblings in UK and Australia; his loving wife Betsy; his son Christopher Reddaway and his wife Marie; his daughter Becky Reddaway and her husband Fenton Carey; stepchildren John Andrews and Sarah Squier and her husband Stephen Beard; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held November 23, 2024, at 11 a.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 8991 Brook Road, McLean, VA 22101. The service will be available via a Zoom link. To receive the link, please contact St. Thomas Episcopal Church. www.stthomasmcleanva.org