Lawrence "Larry" Becker Papers

Lawrence Becker was a philosopher focused on legal philosophy, ethics, and Stoicism. He was born on April 26, 1939. He received his bachelors in History from Midland College in 1961, and his MA and PhD in Philosophy from the University of Chicago in 1963 and 1965 respectively. He came to Hollins University as a visiting instructor of philosophy in 1965, before gaining a position as an assistant professor in 1967. That same year, he married Charlotte Burner. Lawrence Becker worked as a philosophy professor at Hollins until 1989, when he took a job at the College of William and Mary as a philosophy professor. Hollins University named him as a Fellow that same year. He served as editor on various projects, including the Ethics philosophy journal, and the Encyclopedia of Ethics. Over the course of his career, he wrote at least 5 books, and authored dozens of articles and book reviews. He passed away November 22, 2018. Charlotte, his wife, died the same year, on September 18.

In the 1950s, Lawrence Becker was stricken with polio. Although vaccination was made available soon after, the disease left him with paralyzed hands and arms, and little use of his legs. He spent most of his life in a wheelchair, typing all of his manuscripts with his toes.