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| John David Bessler | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bessler in 2014 | |
| Born | (1967-10-23) October 23, 1967 (age 57) Mankato, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Education | University of Minnesota (BA) Indiana University Bloomington (JD) Hamline University (MFA) University of Oxford (MSt) |
| Occupation | Associate Professor of Law at University of Baltimore School of Law |
| Spouse |
Amy Klobuchar (m. 1993) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | University profile |
John David Bessler (born October 23, 1967) is an American attorney and academic. He is a professor of law at the University of Baltimore School of Law and an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. He is the husband of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.
Education
Bessler attended Loyola Catholic School in Mankato, Minnesota, and received his B.A. in political science from the University of Minnesota, J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law, M.F.A. in creative writing from Hamline University and his M.St. in international human rights law from Oxford University. Bessler studied international human rights law at Oxford University and wrote articles for the Indiana Law Journal and the Arkansas Law Review.
Legal career
Bessler previously taught at the University of Minnesota Law School and The George Washington University Law School, where he specialized in death penalty issues. In addition, Bessler clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge John M. Mason of the District of Minnesota and practiced law as a partner at Kelly & Berens, P.A. Bessler currently is a tenured associate professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he teaches civil procedure, contracts, capital punishment, international human rights law, and lawyering skills.
Writings
He is a leading authority on capital punishment, having written five books and various book chapters and articles on the subject. Two of Bessler's books, Death in the Dark: Midnight Executions in America and Legacy of Violence: Lynch Mobs and Executions in Minnesota, were Minnesota Book Award finalists. He also authored Writing for Life: The Craft of Writing for Everyday Life. His most recent book is The Birth of American Law: An Italian Philosopher and the American Revolution (Carolina Academic Press, 2014), which discusses the influence of the Italian jurist and philosopher Cesare Beccaria on the founders of the United States. Bessler also has contributed to one event, a teleforum entitled "Execution Methods and Deciding Implementation of the Death Penalty," held by The Federalist Society, a conservative and libertarian organization.
Personal life
Bessler is married to Amy Klobuchar, a politician and lawyer who currently serves as a U.S. Senator for Minnesota. They have a daughter. On March 23, 2020, Klobuchar announced via Instagram that Bessler had contracted COVID-19 and was later hospitalized.
References
- "Execution Methods and Deciding Implementation of the Death Penalty". fedsoc.org. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- Klobuchar Gives Update on Husband Hospitalized with Coronavirus, The Bemidji Pioneer, March 24, 2020.
- Spencer, Jim (March 29, 2020). "Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar details husband's ordeal with COVID-19". Star Tribune. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- Smith, Morgan. "Amy Klobuchar's Husband Recounts His Harrowing Battle with Coronavirus: 'This Is Not a Cold'". U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
- Gale Reference Team (2007). Biography – Bessler, John D. Thomson Gale.
External links
| University of Baltimore | |
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- 1960 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American non-fiction writers
- 21st-century American male writers
- Spouses of Minnesota politicians
- University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni
- University of Minnesota faculty
- Alumni of the University of Oxford
- Amy Klobuchar
- Indiana University Maurer School of Law alumni
- Minnesota lawyers
- Hamline University alumni
- George Washington University faculty
- American legal scholars
- Georgetown University Law Center faculty
- Anti–death penalty activists
- University of Baltimore faculty
- Minnesota Democrats
- Writers from Minnesota