Daniel G. Partan

1933 - 2019

Daniel G. Partan was a man of love and intellect, strong in mind and big in heart. Daniel was the deeply loved husband of Doris Partan; father of Andrew, Matthew, Sarah, Iliana, and Juan Carlos; grandfather of nine; and great-grandfather of two. He died at age 85, on March 29, 2019, after a long battle with Alzheimers. He was sleeping peacefully at home surrounded by his family. Daniel was a Professor of International Law at Boston University; a former town meeting member in Brookline; and a visiting scholar at several universities, including a Distinguished Fulbright Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Daniel was born in 1933, in Gardner, MA, to Lempi and Toivo Partan from Finland. Dan and his brothers Ralph and Walter grew up in Harlem with few resources. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School, Daniel won a scholarship to Cornell University. He then received his LL.B. and LL.M. in international law from Harvard Law School. Daniel met Doris in Cambridge. They married in June 1957, after falling in love over many long talks and sharing tears over the film La Strada. Family was first in Daniels life. He and Doris spent many holidays hiking, camping, and traveling with their children. Daniel was a great listener. We cherished our conversations with him. Integrity was a deep core value for Dan. He led by example, cared for his students as well as his family, and took the time to support all of us. Daniel was a passionate advocate for the environment and for human rights. He published on human rights and air quality, population issues, and international environmental law. Daniel worked on the international stage on panels of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and the World Trade Organization. He worked at the local level to successfully limit pollution levels of MATEP, the Medical Area Total Energy Plant. He published two editions of his textbook, The International Law Process, and was beloved by the student editors of the International Law Journal at BU. Daniel focused his later career on climate change, which he saw as the most important challenge of our time. He pioneered a course on legal implications of climate change, and educated not only his students but also family and friends on the importance of this issue. A memorial service will be held at Saint Pauls church in Brookline on May 4, 2019, at 2pm. Donations in Daniels name may be made to the Alliance for Climate Education, which trains youth to become climate leaders (www.acespace.org; donation site at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/daniel-partan-fund), or Cyclekids, which teaches city kids like Daniel how to ride bicycles (www.cyclekids.org; donation site at https://donorbox.org/donate_in_memory_of_daniel_partan).