Seen here in a 1971 UC Law SF yearbook photo, Peter Buxtun revealed a decades-long medical experiment in which hundreds of African American men in the Deep South were studied without their consent and unknowingly denied treatment for syphilis.

Alumni Who Make a Difference: Peter Buxtun ’71

• Peter Buxtun exposed the unethical Tuskegee Syphilis Study in 1972, leading to its termination and significant reforms in medical ethics.
• His actions prompted congressional hearings and led to a $10 million settlement and stricter ethical oversight of medical studies at research institutions.
• Buxton’s work demonstrates the power of individual action to challenge systemic injustice and bring about change.

Peter Buxtun, a 1971 graduate of UC Law San Francisco, is remembered as a courageous whistleblower who exposed the notorious Tuskegee Syphilis Study in 1972. His efforts to bring the study’s unethical practices to light played a pivotal role in transforming medical ethics and protecting the rights of human research subjects.

Buxtun passed away on May 18 at the age of 86 in Rocklin, California. He is known not only for bringing greater scrutiny to the Tuskegee Syphilis Study but also for his lifelong advocacy for justice and personal freedoms. He also spent decades working to recover his family’s properties, which were confiscated by the Nazis.

Born in Prague in 1937, Buxton immigrated with his family to the U.S. and was raised in Oregon. He learned of the Tuskegee Study in the...

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