October 15, 2025
Professor Emeritus Joseph A. Page, who joined the Georgetown Law faculty in 1968, died October 13. He was 91 years old.
Professor Emeritus Joseph Page
A professor and scholar of tort law, Page was a longtime friend and associate of Ralph Nader, a law school classmate who became one of the nation’s most prominent consumer advocates. Page was among the “Nader’s Raiders” who helped launch the organization Public Citizen in the 1970s – he was co-author of the Nader Study Group report “Bitter Wages: Report on Disease and Injury on the Job” (1973). He later served on Public Citizen’s board and worked with Nader to establish the American Museum of Tort Law a decade ago.
Page entered academia as an assistant professor at University of Denver College of Law after a stint as an editor at NACCA Law Journal, a publication of the National Association of Claimants’ Compensation Attorneys, the predecessor to the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. In 2003, his book Torts: Proximate Cause was published by Foundation Press. He also was a regular commentator in the news media on issues related to tort law; his faculty page on the Georgetown Law website includes quotes from him on such topics as restaurants’ liability in states with open-carry firearms laws and a Florida resort’s liability in the case of a toddler killed by an alligator while wading in a lagoon.
Page, a Boston native, held three degrees from Harvard University: a B.A., an LL.B. and an LL.M. He retired from teaching in 2015. He is survived by his wife, the translator and author Martha Gil-Montero.
“Joe was a wonderful professor and colleague. Our scholarship interests intersected, and we had many enjoyable conversations over the years,” said Interim Dean Joshua C. Teitelbaum. “The Georgetown Law community will miss him, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones.”
In addition to his expertise in tort law, product liability and the regulation of food, drugs and cosmetics, Page had a keen interest in Latin America, having traveled extensively in the region after law school. In 1983 he published a well-regarded biography of the controversial Argentinian president Juan Perón; he also wrote two books on Brazilian history and culture, and at the Law Center served as director of the Center for the Advancement of the Rule of Law in the Americas (CAROLA) from 2003 to 2017.
Professor Emeritus Charles Gustafson, a longtime friend of Page’s, remembers him as both an engaged scholar and teacher at the Law Center and a lover of many forms of culture, from novels to movies to sports (always rooting for Boston’s teams). Page arranged several exchange opportunities between Georgetown Law professors and Argentine academics, and when it was Gustafson’s turn to visit Argentina, he was delighted to learn how well-known his colleague was there, thanks to his best-selling Perón biography. “When I said Joe was my friend, it elevated people’s opinion of me,” he said.
Gustafson also recalls Page celebrating his final day in the classroom by arriving dressed in a tuxedo, bearing champagne to share with his students. “He did things right,” said Gustafson. “He lived a good and interesting life.”
Please share your remembrances of Professor Page using this link, and they will be added to the section below.
Joe was my next door neighbor on the fourth floor of McDonough for a number of years. He was a wonderful person in every way. A fine scholar, mentor and friend as well as a dedicated part of the Georgetown community. I will miss him but will always remember him.
I loved Joe Page. He was the real thing—a law professor truly committed to justice and a good and honorable human being. My dear friend and co-author Monroe Freedman also adored Joe. If he were alive he would shed a tear for his dear old friend.
He was wonderful. I worked with him for many years.
My deep condolences. Joe was such a wonderful, caring, brilliant and humble man. He made the world a better place, immeasurably.
Joe could be wise, erudite, ironic, and funny. He knew everything there was to know about Red Sox baseball, but also everything there was to know about Argentina, Brazil, drug regulation, and tort liability. But above all he was a decent and kind human being who cared deeply about his friends and had no enemies. I will miss him.
I am so sorry to learn of the passing of Professor Joseph Page. His service to Georgetown Law and his care for the people who are part of this community should serve as a model for all of us. Relatedly, Joe wore his brilliance lightly. In every conversation I had with him, Joe was generous with his insights, and his work was always directed to the betterment of the local, national, and global communities in which we live. May Joe's soul, and those of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.
Joe was salt of the earth. His contributions to consumer safety and to tort law were monumental. And he was the nicest, kindest, most humble person you will ever meet. We will miss him, but he will not be forgotten.
Joe Page was a dear friend, one of the first profs I got to know when I arrived at the Law Center in 1999! At the moment, I think of all the great moments we shared throughout the years, both in DC and in Europe. Indeed, Joe joined at some point a group of scholars working in Italy, and it was always a treat to go there with him and Martha in the early part of July. I also had the wonderful pleasure to co-teach with him a couple of times, both at the Law Center and in Switzerland. The breadth of his knowledge, both in law and in other fields, was impressive, and I remember feeling quite privileged to be able to learn from him so much. He gave me many insights in American law that were lifetime lessons for me. Joe was not only an impressive scholar. He was a wonderful human being. I will miss his sense of humor, his subtlety and his kindness very much!
I was one of Professor Page’s Torts students 26 years ago, and have many happy memories of my time in his classroom! He changed the way that I see the world and the valuable knowledge I gained from him I use daily in my practice. But my fondest memories will always be of his delightful tales of South American circuses and the colorful practices of their lion tamers!
Joe Page was one of the kindest, gentlest, and just plain sweetest, people I've ever met. When I was a new faculty member here, he was one of the first new colleagues to extend a sincere, warm greeting to me, and he sustained that personal touch through the years. Joe was also the key organizer for the faculty's engagement with the staff in the winter holidays, and that, too, is symbolic of his generosity of spirit and his care for Georgetown and all its inhabitants.
I knew Joe before I joined the faculty. I worked with Ralph Nader and Joe and Ralph were close companions. Ralph would lean on Joe to untangle tough legal questions, and he did. Joe was a brilliant thinker; a wonderful teacher and lawyer. I will remember his spark of life, dancing, eating great food, and loving life. We miss him already.
Joe was a terrific colleague and a wonderful man. For several years I served as his #2 in organizing the staff holiday gift and party. That gave me the chance to get to know him a little better, and I am grateful for it. May Joe's memory be a blessing to us all.
We celebrate Joe Page. Joe was on the faculty when I joined in 1978. He was a wonderful colleague and good friend. I enjoyed our discussions of difficult issues in tort law, Brazilian political and economic conditions, and Argentina, especially Juan Peron and Evita. I remember hearing about his trip to northeast Brazil with Ralph Nader. I learned much from the subsequent book he wrote, and from his later book on Juan Peron. When Carnival time arrived in late winter/early spring, Chuck (my husband) and I would join Joe and Martha and spend the night dancing samba at the local Brazilian carnival celebration. Joe and Martha knew how to have a good time! The last time I spoke with Joe and Martha was at the farewell party for Bill Treanor in June 2025, when we sat together and shared tales. Joe was always insightful and had a wry sense of humor. I will miss him and cherish his memory.