David C. Baldus ’57


David C. Baldus ’57 died at his home in Iowa City, Iowa, on June 13 after a 15-month battle with colon cancer. At Dartmouth he majored in government, belonged to Kappa Kappa Kappa, Green Key, the Sophomore Orientation Committee, Camera Club, Newman Club, Ledyard Canoe Club and Army ROTC and was Aegis editor-in-chief. After two years as an Army lieutenant in Korea, Dave received a master’s in political science from the University of Pittsburgh and a J.D. and LL.B. from Yale Law School. After practicing law for four years he moved to Iowa City, joining the law faculty of the University of Iowa. He was an outstanding scholar and teacher, focusing his studies in particular on racial discrimination in capital punishment. His work was at the center of a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court decision that came within one vote of changing how the death penalty was administered. His research into 2,000 murders in Georgia with 230 variables led to the conclusion that people accused of killing white victims received death sentences four times more often than those accused of killing black people. He wrote two books, Statistical Proof of Discrimination and Equal Justice and the Death Penalty. An energetic teacher and tireless researcher, Dave was devoted to helping young scholars and dedicated to the pursuit of justice. He loved the outdoors, sailing the Maine coast and listening to music of all kinds. Dave is survived by his wife, Joyce, daughters Katherine and Helen, four stepchildren and nine step-grandchildren.