Jonathan F. Fanton (born 1943) is an American academic and nonprofit executive. He served as the president of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

from 2014 to 2018, the president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation from 1999 to 2009, and as the president of

The New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR), previously known as The University in Exile and The New School University, is a graduate-level educational division of The New School in New York City, United States. NSSR enrolls more than 1,000 stud ...

from 1982 to 1999. He has served as board chair for several organizations, including

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

, the Security Council Report, and the

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities. He also serves on the boards of

Scholars At Risk Scholars at Risk (SAR) is an international network of academic institutions organized to support and defend the principles of academic freedom and to defend the human rights of scholars around the world. As of 2024, network membership is reported ...

, the World Refugee and Migration Council, the International Integrity Initiative, American University Afghanistan, American Exchange Project and the European Humanities University. He serves as a member of the advisory board of the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs and Roosevelt House at Hunter College. He is a life trustee of Human Rights Watch and The Asian Cultural Council. He was elected a fellow of the

and the American Philosophical Society.

Early life and career

Born in Mobile,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, Fanton grew up in Trumbull and

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. In 1961, he graduated from

Choate School Choate Rosemary Hall ( ) is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1890, it took its present name and began a co-educational system with the 1978 merger of ''The Ch ...

. At

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, he earned a baccalaureate degree in 1965, and a Ph.D. in

American history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...

in 1978. As an undergraduate, Fanton directed the Ulysses S. Grant Program, a summer enrichment program for talented students from the inner city. He went on to serve at

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

as associate provost and as an assistant to President

Kingman Brewster Kingman Brewster Jr. (June 17, 1919 – November 8, 1988) was an American educator, academic and diplomat. He served as the 17th president of Yale University and as United States ambassador to the United Kingdom. Early life Brewster was born i ...

. He subsequently served as vice president for planning at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

Academic and nonprofit leadership

In 1982, Fanton was inaugurated president of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, a leadership position that he held for 17 years. One of his signature accomplishments as president was the reconnection of

The New School The New School is a Private university, private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for p ...

to its European roots through assistance provided to dissident scholars in Eastern and

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

, many of whom were leaders of

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

organizations in their home countries. After becoming president of the

MacArthur Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 117 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.6 billion and ...

in 1999, he worked to strengthen the organization’s commitment to a variety of issues, including international justice, human rights, peace and security, biodiversity conservation, and community and economic development. From 2009 to 2014, Fanton was interim director of the

Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College The Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College (Roosevelt House) is a think tank affiliated with Hunter College. It is located at Sara Delano Roosevelt Memorial House, 47-49 East 65th Street in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of Manhat ...

. From 2014 to 2019, he served as the president of the

, one of the oldest learned societies and independent policy research centers in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 2015.

Scholarship

Fanton is the author of ''Foundations and Civil Society, Volumes I and II'' (MacArthur Foundation, 2008) and ''The University and Civil Society, Volumes I and II'' (New School for Social Research, 1995, 2002). He is also co-editor of ''John Brown: Great Lives Observed'' (Prentice-Hall, 1973) and ''The Manhattan Project: A Documentary Introduction to the Atomic Age'' (McGraw-Hill, 1991).

References

External links

Jonathan Fanton

American Academy of Arts and Sciences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fanton, Jonathan Yale University alumni Living people 1943 births People from Trumbull, Connecticut People from Weston, Connecticut Members of the American Philosophical Society