Barbara Aronstein Black

Barbara Aronstein Black
Born(1933-05-06)May 6, 1933
DiedJanuary 20, 2026(2026-01-20) (aged 92)
Education
OccupationAcademic
SpouseCharles Black
Children3

Barbara Aronstein Black (May 6, 1933 – January 20, 2026) was an American legal scholar. She was the first woman to be a dean of an Ivy League law school[1] when she became the dean of Columbia Law School in 1986.[2][3] Black was the George Wellwood Murray Professor of Legal History at Columbia.[4]

Early life and career

Born and raised in Brooklyn on May 6, 1933,[5] Black received her B.A. from Brooklyn College in 1953,[6] her LL.B. from Columbia Law School in 1955, and a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1975.[7] While at law school, she was editor of the Columbia Law Review.[8]

Black was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1989 and a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1991.[5][9] She was also for two years the president of the American Society for Legal History.[7]

Her work was concentrated in the area of contracts and legal history. She received the Elizabeth Blackwell Award[10] and the Federal Bar Association Prize of Columbia Law School.[11]

Personal life and death

Barbara Black was the widow of the constitutional scholar and civil rights pioneer Charles Black.[4] They had three children, two sons and a daughter.[12][2] She left academia for a time to focus on raising her children, returning in 1965.[13] She died in Philadelphia on January 20, 2026, at the age of 92.[14]

References

  1. ^ Kleiman, Carol (March 9, 1987). "More women practice law, but barriers remain". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Biography · Barbara Aronstein Black · ABA Women Trailblazers Project". abawtp.law.stanford.edu. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  3. ^ "Winning due credit for life experience". Milwaukee Journal. January 6, 1986.
  4. ^ a b McFadde, Robert (May 8, 2001). "Charles L. Black Jr., 85, constitutional law expert who wrote on impeachment, dies". New York Times.
  5. ^ a b "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter B" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  6. ^ Moss, Michael (June 6, 1988). "Challenge rules, roles, new graduates told". Newsday. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Faculty Profiles - Barbara Aronstein Black". Columbia Law School. Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  8. ^ "Barbara A. Black". www.law.columbia.edu. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  9. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  10. ^ "The Blackwell Award". Hobart and William Smith College. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  11. ^ "HWS: Barbara Aronstein Black". Hobart and William Smith College.
  12. ^ "Some memories of Charles L. Black, Jr". Yale Law Journal. June 1, 2002.
  13. ^ "Woman in the News: Barbara Aronstein Black; Incoming Law School Dean with 2 Careers". The New York Times. January 2, 1986. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  14. ^ Schachar, Natalie (January 21, 2026). "Barbara Aronstein Black, a First as a Law School Dean, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved January 21, 2026.