John Halligan

Biography

John lost his thirteen-year-old son, Ryan, to suicide on October 7, 2003. At the time of his death, Ryan was a student at a middle school in Essex Junction, Vermont. It was revealed in much greater detail after Ryan’s death that he was ridiculed and humiliated by peers at school and on-line. In memory of his son, John spearheaded the Vermont Bully Prevention bill which was signed into law (ACT117) in May 2004 and only a few months after Ryan’s death. He also successfully led the passage of the law pertaining to mandatory suicide prevention education in public schools (ACT 114) in April 2006. Mr. Halligan has been outspoken about the need for more education and prevention of bullying, cyberbullying and teen suicide throughout the United States, Canada, and Latin America. He has appeared on several national TV programs including Primetime with Diane Sawyer, PBS Frontline, and Oprah. John also spoke at the United Nations Cyberhate Seminar in 2009.