John C. McAdams

John Charles McAdams (October 26, 1945 – April 15, 2021)[1][2] was an American conservative and associate professor of political science at Marquette University.[3][4] McAdams taught courses on American politics and public policy, voter behavior, and the John F. Kennedy assassination; he ran a website on the assassination and published a book on the subject, JFK Assassination Logic: How to Think about Claims of Conspiracy (2011).[5] He described himself as "a debunker by temperament".[6] McAdams was suspended by Marquette in 2014 for publicly criticizing and sharing the first and last names of a graduate student on his personal blog. McAdams filed suit for breach of contract and in 2018 the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered the university to reinstate him.[7]

Biography

Early life and education

McAdams attended Kennedy High School in Kennedy, Alabama.[8] He gained an undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama and a masters from Teachers College, Columbia University.[6] He earned his PhD from Harvard University in 1981.[5]

Career

McAdams taught courses on American politics and public policy and the John F. Kennedy assassination and has been published in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Sociological Quarterly, and Law and Contemporary Problems.[5]

McAdams maintained The Kennedy Assassination Home Page, a web page of articles, resources, and links devoted to debunking various conspiracies regarding the assassination. The site has been called "impressively comprehensive",[9] "the best gateway to serious and reliable materials"[10] and "the best collection of Kennedy assassination-related information."[11] He was also the moderator of the Usenet group alt.assassination.jfk. He is the author of the book JFK Assassination Logic: How to Think about Claims of Conspiracy (2011).[12]

Controversy

On December 12, 2014, McAdams was placed on indefinite academic leave from Marquette University and was suspended from all teaching and faculty duties, banned from campus but retaining pay and benefits. This indefinite suspension came about after McAdams publicly criticized a graduate student by name in a post on his personal blog. He said the instructor had refused to allow a student in an ethics class to express their views against gay marriage in class because the instructor believed that these views are homophobic and offensive.[13][14] A letter from Marquette University indicated that the firing was the result of his thrice violating student privacy and deliberately publishing students' names and information to target them for harassment, and because he had done so in the third instance, despite previously acknowledging that posting student names was a matter of concern.[15][16]

On March 24, 2016, Marquette released an announcement detailing the decision of University President Michael Lovell, formally implementing the unanimous recommendation contained in a 123-page report composed by the Faculty Hearing Committee after a 4-day investigation. McAdams' suspension was extended until January 2017 without pay but with benefits, and any return was conditioned on his writing a full letter of apology by April 4, 2016. McAdams told local news media that the requirement to write an apology was "a deal killer. No, I'm not going to do that."[17][18][19] The announcement triggered a barrage of hateful and threatening messages and emails directed at the graduate student and at Marquette University officials.[20][21] The graduate student later transferred to another university, saying she feared for her safety.[22] More than a year after the graduate student left the school, McAdams continued to publish on his blog about her, including disclosing the name of the university she attended after Marquette.[23]

On April 4, 2016, McAdams issued a 4-page letter[24] to President Lovell, formally rejecting his demands, and calling them "compelled speech."

McAdams filed a lawsuit against Marquette, alleging that the suspension and pending dismissal amounted to a breach of contract.[25] In response the university released the 123-page Faculty Hearing Committee report, which alleged a pattern of bullying and reckless behavior by McAdams, including at least three previous attempts to intimidate fellow faculty members by threatening to publish their names to his blog.[22][26]

In July 2018, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered the university to reinstate him.[7][27] Following a sabbatical, McAdams returned to the university in 2019.[28]

Death

McAdams died on April 15, 2021.[28]

Politics

McAdams has been described as a "vocal conservative"[29] and was a proponent of capital punishment.[30] In 2006, he testified before the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights Subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary as an expert on capital punishment.[31]

McAdams ran the blog Marquette Warrior which was linked, along with several other blogs, to a pro-Walmart PR effort.[32]

Books

References
  1. Library of Congress. "McAdams, John, 1945-". id.loc.gov. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  2. Shastri, Devi. "John McAdams, political science professor who took Marquette to the state Supreme Court, dies". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  3. "Marquette says John McAdams' suspension to continue until he apologizes - Watchdog.org". Watchdog.org. 2017-01-15. Archived from the original on 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  4. Dickey, Jack (November 5, 2013). "The Debunker Among the Buffs". Time. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  5. "John C. McAdams | Department of Political Science | Marquette University". Marquette.edu. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  6. John C. McAdams, JFK Assassination Logic: How to Think about Claims of Conspiracy, Potomac Books, 2011. p307
  7. "Wisconsin Supreme Court sides with Marquette professor John McAdams in free speech case, orders university to reinstate him". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. July 6, 2018.
  8. Parks, Dan (December 31, 1993). "Students view 'JFK' in lesson on evidence; New MU class examines data". Milwaukee Sentinel. Milwaukee. p. 6A. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  9. Web of Conspiracy: A Guide to Conspiracy Theory Sites on the Internet By James F. Broderick, Darren W. Miller, Information Today, Inc., 2008
  10. The history highway 3.0: a guide to internet resources By Dennis A. Trinkle, Scott A. Merriman, M.E. Sharpe, 2002
  11. Great American Websites: an online discovery of a hidden America By Edward J. Renehan, Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1997
  12. McAdams, John (2011). JFK Assassination Logic: How to Think about Claims of Conspiracy. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, Inc. ISBN 978-1-59797-489-9. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  13. "MU prof banned for criticizing TA on gay marriage discussion". www.jsonline.com. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  14. Svrluga, Susan (2021-10-27). "A university moved to fire a professor after he defended a student's right to debate gay marriage. Now he's suing". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  15. Katie Delong (February 4, 2015). "In letter to tenured professor John McAdams, Marquette officials say they've begun the process of firing him". FOX6Now.com.
  16. Richard C. Holz (January 30, 2015). "Letter to John McAdams".
  17. "Political science professor John McAdams suspended by Marquette University". fox6now.com. 24 March 2016.
  18. Dawson, Andrew (24 March 2016). "McAdams suspended through fall 2016 semester". Marquette Wire.
  19. Lovell, Michael R. "Message from President Michael R. Lovell to the Marquette community – March 24, 2016". Marquette University.
  20. Delong, Katie (31 March 2016). "MU pres. issues "call for decency," says former grad student subject to hate over professor's suspension". fox6 now.com.
  21. Lovell, Michael. "A call for decency: A message from Marquette University President Michael Lovell". Medium.com. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  22. Herzog, Karen. "MU report suggests pattern of bullying by suspended McAdams". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  23. Svrluga, Susan (2021-10-27). "A university moved to fire a professor after he defended a student's right to debate gay marriage. Now he's suing". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  24. McAdams, John (April 4, 2016). "Letter to President Lovell" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  25. Zervakis, Pete (2 May 2016). "Marquette professor John McAdams suing university over suspension". WTMJ. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  26. "In the Matter of the Contested Dismissal of Dr. John C. McAdams" (PDF). Faculty Hearing Committee Report. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  27. McAdams v. Marquette University, Wisconsin Supreme Court No. 2017AP001240, https://www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=215236 (July 6, 2018)
  28. Wells, Benjamin. "Political science professor John McAdams passes away". Marquette Wire. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  29. Twohey, Megan (March 9, 2006). "Marquette bans feminist play University calls it too distracting; critics say move limits free speech". Milwaukee Sentinel. Milwaukee. p. 1B, 2B. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  30. Wilson, Chris (June 12, 2007). "Mixed Views on the Death Penalty". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  31. S. Hrg. 109-540 - AN EXAMINATION OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN THE UNITED STATES (PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. February 1, 2006. p. 14.
  32. Barbaro, Michael (March 7, 2006). "Wal-Mart Enlists Bloggers in P.R. Campaign". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
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