Marquette professor at center of free speech controversy passes away
John McAdams
MILWAUKEE - Long-time Marquette University Professor John McAdams passed away Thursday, April 15.
The university issued a statement Thursday evening mourning his loss.
The professor was at the center of a major Marquette controversy in 2014. He was suspended for a blog post criticizing another professor for not allowing a debate on same-sex marriage. He fought the punishment for four years, saying it was protected free speech until the Supreme Court of Wisconsin's ruled in his favor in 2018.
Adams returned to teaching afterward, working at Marquette for a combined nearly 45 years.
John McAdams
Statement from Marquette University
"The Marquette University community mourns the loss of Dr. John McAdams, associate professor of political science. Dr. McAdams was a well-known American politics and public policy teacher at Marquette for nearly 45 years. A globally known scholar of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Dr. McAdams taught a popular course on the topic. He also published the book JFK Assassination Logic: How to Think about Claims of Conspiracy in 2011.
"The Marquette community extends its deepest sympathies and prayers to Dr. McAdams’ family, friends, colleagues and students."