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Peter Bachrach ’42

Peter Bachrach ’42, December 14, 2007, at home in Southwest Harbor, Maine, following a stroke. Peter received a BA from Reed in economics, and continued his studies at Harvard, where he earned a PhD in political science in 1951. In 1946, he married Florence Rice; they lived in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and had six children. Peter taught political science at Bryn Mawr for more than 22 years, joining the faculty at Temple University in 1968. He retired from Temple in 1988 as professor emeritus of political science. Following the death of his wife in 1975, Peter married again; the couple lived in Center City before moving to Maine in 1992. His article, “Two Faces of Power,” published in the American Political Science Review in 1962, is described as the most widely cited article in the political science discipline. He wrote 10 books, including Power and Empowerment: A Radical Theory of Participatory Democracy (1992), and was an advocate of political activism by all segments of society. Peter took pleasure in kayaking, playing chess, and stamp collecting. Survivors include his wife, Adrienne, five daughters, a son, two stepdaughters and stepsons, 22 grandchildren, and a sister.

Appeared in Reed magazine: May 2008

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