Susan G. Hadden (June 4, 1944 – January 15, 1995) was a Professor in the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs and the Center for Asian Studies at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

, United States.

Biography

Hadden, a native Texan, was educated at Radcliffe College where she completed a B.A. cum laude, studying

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

under Daniel Ingalls. She was a classmate of

Bimal Krishna Matilal Bimal Krishna Matilal (1 June 1935 – 8 June 1991) was an eminent British-Indian philosopher whose writings presented the Indian philosophical tradition as a comprehensive system of logic incorporating most issues addressed by themes in Weste ...

, and often said that Ingalls simultaneously had the best and worst students of his entire career in the same room. Her interest in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

was interrupted by that of

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public p ...

. She changed direction and went on to the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

where she completed her M.A. and Ph.D. in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. Hadden was an expert in

telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

policy, on environmental policy, citizen participation in the formulation of policy, and policies relating to human health risks. She was regularly asked by state and local governments to formulate policies in these fields. She was repeatedly called to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

to testify before the House and Senate Committees on public policy matters, and advised then

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

on policies relating to public access to the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

. In recognition of her contributions to the field of public response to science-related social controversies, she was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in February 1993. Despite her work on public policy, Hadden retained her youthful interest in India. She wrote about environmental policy in India, traveled to the subcontinent regularly, and was active among the community of scholars at the University of Texas who study India. Her interests expanded beyond contemporary affairs to diverse matters such as art history and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

. On January 15, 1995, she was killed by bandits while on her way to visit the temple complex at

Banteay Srei Banteay Srei or Banteay Srey ( km, បន្ទាយស្រី ) is a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor, it lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, north-east of the main group of temples ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

with her husband. The trip was a 50th birthday present from her husband, James, who was seriously injured in the attack. They had two children.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hadden, Susan G. 1945 births 1995 deaths American women political scientists American political scientists Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Academics from Austin, Texas Radcliffe College alumni University of Chicago alumni University of Texas at Austin faculty 20th-century American women American women academics 20th-century political scientists