Steven Muller

Steven Muller (November 22, 1927 – January 19, 2013) was the president of the Johns Hopkins University, serving from 1972 to 1990.

He was born in Hamburg, Germany, the son of Marianne (née Hartstein) and Werner A. Muller. He immigrated to the United States in 1940. He appeared in several films as a teenager. He became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. in 1949.

Muller graduated from UCLA in 1948 and received his Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University. From 1949 to 1951 he was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. After serving in the Army Signal Corps during 1954-1955, he was an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Haverford College and Assistant Professor of Government at Cornell University. While serving as Vice President for Public Affairs of Cornell University, Muller played a leading role in negotiating the end to the occupation of Willard Straight Hall by African American students on April 20, 1969.

In 1971 he became Provost at JHU, and went on to serve as the University’s 10th President.

Muller’s specialties are comparative government and international relations, with particular emphasis on political developments in Europe. He has authored a textbook and numerous articles in this field.

At the time of his death, Muller was co-chairman of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at JHU; trustee of the German Marshall Fund of the United States; member of the executive committee of the Atlantic Council of the United States.

In June 1990, the main building of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore was named "Steven Muller Building" after him.

He died on January 19, 2013, at his home in Washington, DC. He was 85.