Barry Commoner

Barry Commoner
Commoner in 1980
Born(1917-05-28)May 28, 1917
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedSeptember 30, 2012(2012-09-30) (aged 95)
New York, New York, U.S.
EducationColumbia University
Harvard University
OccupationBiologist
Spouses
  • Gloria Gordon (divorced; 2 children)
Lisa Feiner
(m. 1980)
AwardsNewcomb Cleveland Prize (1953)

Barry Commoner (May 28, 1917 – September 30, 2012) was an American cellular biologist, college professor, and politician. He was a leading ecologist and among the founders of the modern environmental movement. He was the director of the Center for Biology of Natural Systems and its Critical Genetics Project. He ran as the Citizens Party candidate in the 1980 U.S. presidential election. His work studying the radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons testing led to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963.