John Buettner-Janusch (December 7, 1924 – July 2, 1992), often called "B-J", was an Americanphysical anthropologist who pioneered the application ofmolecular evolution methods, such asprotein sequence comparison, to the field ofprimate evolution.[citation needed] He served as chairman of theNew York University anthropology department before 1980, when he was sent to prison for turning his laboratory into a drug manufacturing operation. After his release, he attempted to poison the judge who presided over his first trial and was sent to prison a second time.[1]
Buettner-Janusch was born inChicago and spent his childhood inEagle River, Wisconsin. DuringWorld War II he was briefly imprisoned as aconscientious objector.[2] He earned aB.S. in 1949 and anM.A. in 1953, both from theUniversity of Chicago, before pursuing doctoral work at theUniversity of Michigan, working withFrederick Thieme,James Spuhler, andWilliam Schull. He completed his Ph.D. in 1957 and the following year joined theYale University anthropology department. In 1963, he published a study ofgenetic variation in the Kenyan baboon (Papio anubis) based onprotein electrophoresis; along withJohn Lee Hubby, who worked withDrosophila, Buettner-Janusch was one of the first to apply electrophoresis topopulation genetics. The most significant of his work, which included over 80 journal articles, focused onbiochemical genetics andcytogenetics in non-human primates.[3]
In 1965, Buettner-Janusch moved toDuke University, where he founded theDuke Lemur Center. He wrote two textbooks:Origins of Man (1966), produced with the assistance of his wife and long-time collaborator Vina Mallowitz Buettner-Janusch, andPhysical Anthropology: A Perspective. The first textbook, according to the writers of his obituary in theAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology, "is widely regarded as a classic in physical anthropology, and many [anthropologists] feel that there has been no better text on the subject before or since."[3]
In 1973, Buettner-Janusch became head of the NYU anthropology department. Shortly after his wife died in 1977, he was accused of harboring an illegal drug operation in his laboratory, in which his assistants were makingLSD andmethaqualone. Although he maintained his innocence, he was indicted in 1979 and convicted, in 1980, on several counts related to the drug operation. He was paroled from a five-year sentence in 1983. In 1987, seeking revenge for his drug conviction, Buettner-Janusch anonymously sent poisonedValentine's Day chocolates to the federal judge for the case,Charles L. Brieant Jr., as well as others. Brieant's wife fell ill after eating some of the chocolate. After pleading guilty, Buettner-Janusch was given a 20-year prison sentence. He died of AIDS after serving six years; near the end of his life he stopped eating and was being force-fed.[1][3][4]
The podcastCriminal produced an episode, "Professor Quaalude," about Buettner-Janusch's life and crimes.[5]
