| Anthony T. Kronman | |
| Birth Date: | 12 May 1945 |
| Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Parents: | Rosella Towne (mother) |
| Awards: | American Academy of Arts & Sciences (1994) |
| Education: | Williams College (BA) Yale University (PhD, JD) |
| Discipline: | Contract law |
| Doctoral Students: | Leora Bilsky |
| Office: | 14th Dean of Yale Law School |
| Term Start: | 1994 |
| Term End: | 2004 |
| Predecessor: | Guido Calabresi |
| Successor: | Harold Hongju Koh |
Anthony Townsend Kronman (born May 12, 1945) is an American legal scholar who serves as a Sterling Professor at Yale Law School specializing in contracts, bankruptcy, jurisprudence, social theory, and professional responsibility.[1] He was the 14th dean of Yale Law School from 1994 to 2004.[2]
Kronman was raised in Los Angeles, California, the son of Harry Kronman, a Hollywood screenwriter, and actress Rosella Towne.[3] Kronman received a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Williams College in 1968 with membership in Phi Beta Kappa. Afterwards, he received a Ph.D. in philosophy from Yale University in 1972, and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1975.He was an editor of the Yale Law Journal while a law student at Yale.
He taught at the University of Minnesota Law School from 1975 to 1976, and the University of Chicago Law School from 1976 to 1978, before joining the Yale faculty. In addition to the courses that Kronman teaches at Yale Law School, he also teaches undergraduate classes in literature, philosophy, and history and politics as part of the Directed Studies program at Yale.[4] Outside of his academic obligations, Kronman is of counsel at the law firm of Boies, Schiller & Flexner.[5]
Kronman has characterized contemporary diversity campaigns as a political, not educational ideal. In his 2019 book Assault on American Excellence, he criticized Yale's decisions to change the title of "master" to "head of college" and to rename "Calhoun College". He rebuked University President Peter Salovey's lack of support for the Christakises, who were targeted by students during a 2015 protest over inclusivity and free discourse. Other members of the university community disagreed with Kronman's positions.[6]