Government Department Mourns Passing of Professor Carey

Professor George Carey died on Friday, June 21 at Georgetown University Hospital. He was 79.

George Carey taught political theory in the Department since 1961. He was an expert on American political thought, especially the Federalist papers and the Constitution.

His work was marked by a deep knowledge of the Constitution and founding period, coupled with a vigorous defense of traditional approaches to the Constitution and government.

One of George’s major early works was The Basic Symbols of the American Political Tradition, written with Willmoore Kendall. He continued as a prolific writer, a deeply engaged conservative thinker who influenced many students and readers. His interests and broad knowledge jump out from the titles of the books he wrote and edited, including Freedom and Virtue: The Conservative/Libertarian Debate, A Second Federalist: Congress Creates a Government, Christianity and Political Philosophy and Community and Tradition: Conservative Perspectives on the American Experience.

In 2008, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute published Defending the Republic: Constitutional Morality in a Time of Crisis, a book of essays in honor of George.

Services for Professor Carey will be for the family but a memorial service will be planned for sometime this fall at Georgetown.