It is with great sadness that the University of New Hampshire School of Law shares news of the passing of Professor Emeritus Hugh Gibbons. The entire UNH Law community offers its sincere condolences to Professor Gibbons’ family.
“Hugh was an influential figure in the school’s early decades,” said Jordan Budd, Interim Dean of UNH Law. “His unwavering dedication to our students made him a beloved mentor, friend and colleague. He played a central role in championing the school’s founding principles, which remain an important part of our identity today.”
Gibbons authored a theory of law, the “Biological Basis of Law,” and was frequently an expert consultant and witness on the topics of business organization and valuation.
Gibbons was an early adopter of the computer in his courses, including Torts, Legal Philosophy, Law and Economics, and Computers and Privacy, and at the time established himself as one of few experts on the long-range impact of computers on the law. He presented his paper, “Using Computers to Analyze Legal Questions,” to the Yale University Conference on System Science and Jurisprudence.
Gibbons embraced the way computers changed legal education and the law, noting: “The computer is making serious changes, from the mechanics of organizing a law office to programs that help solve legal questions. It promises to change legal education by providing students with new ways of thinking about law.”
Gibbons was also an accomplished sculptor and graphic artist, exhibiting his work throughout the country, including exhibitions in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Florida, and California. His daughter, Lauren Gibbons Paul, is a 1992 graduate of the law school.
