Marquette University mourns the loss of Dr. Lawrence (Larry) LeBlanc, professor emeritus of political science in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, who died Tuesday, Aug. 5.
Larry joined the Marquette faculty in 1969 on a one-year appointment. He quickly made his mark on the discipline of political science and on the Marquette community and was asked to join the faculty as an assistant professor. He received his B.S. and M.A. degrees from Louisiana State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. He was promoted to associate professor in 1977 and became a full professor in 2000. During his career, he served three terms as chair of the Department of Political Science. He was also a visiting Fulbright Scholar at the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights at the University of Utrecht (1990-91) and a Fulbright Scholar at the Universiti Kebangsaan in Malaysia (2003-04).
Larry was an internationally renowned scholar, whose pathbreaking work focused on the development and implementation of international treaties on human rights. Most significantly, his book, “The United States and the Genocide Convention” (Duke University Press, 1991), remains the definitive study of the United States’ long complicated experience with drafting and eventually joining the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. His 1995 book, “The Convention on the Rights of the Child: United Nations Lawmaking on Human Rights,” provided an in-depth account of human rights treatymaking in action, examining how close cooperation among the UN monitoring committee, UNICEF and other UN agencies made it difficult for governments to ignore their pledges.
A true teacher-scholar, Larry brought his passion for studying international law and international organizations to the classroom. He was widely known among students for teaching courses that were both rigorous and popular; his course sections filled quickly. Thanks to his hard work, one of his most popular classes brought generations of Marquette students to visit the United Nations in New York for briefings with UN delegations from across the world. In 2005, he received Marquette’s Teaching Excellence Award, the highest honor bestowed upon university faculty members for their work in the classroom.
Faculty colleagues remember Larry as a selfless, dedicated leader who put others ahead of himself, and whose warmth and good cheer made the Department of Political Science a supportive, collegial place to work. As Dr. Lowell Barrington, professor of political science, put it: “He was a wonderful colleague, a great mentor, and someone that it was simply impossible not to like or admire.” Dr. Rich Friman, professor emeritus of political science, agreed: “Larry was a warm, generous and gregarious soul. A smile on his face, endless stories to share, Larry was the colleague you wanted at your table at any university function and a joy to watch and be with at social gatherings.”
Larry is survived by his wife of 54 years, Mary LeBlanc; his children David LeBlanc and Liz Sumner; and his “precious and perfect” grandchildren, Molly, Charles and Ellis. Further survived by his sisters Marian (the late Donovan) Barker and Deanie (Ronald) Pere and other relatives and dear friends.
Family will greet friends on Friday, Aug. 29, at Feerick Funeral Home, 2025 E. Capitol Dr., Shorewood, Wisconsin, 53211, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., with remembrances at 3 p.m. and a reception to follow. The inurnment will take place privately.
Please remember Larry, his family and friends in prayer.
