Born in Tanzania (then Tanganyika), he came to Princeton through a Kennedy-era program that sought to assist in educating outstanding African students who might be part of that continent’s post-independence leadership.
At Princeton, Hussein was a Woodrow Wilson School major and belonged to Ivy Club. During his senior year he roomed with Drew Hicks and Steve Ingersoll.
After graduating from Princeton, he earned a master’s degree at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda; and a Ph.D. in political science at Harvard. Fluent in French, Swahili, and Somali, he also studied in The Hague, Paris, and Cairo.
Hussein served on the faculty of Brandeis University and — from 1989 until his retirement in 2015 — on the faculty of Holy Cross, where he taught African politics and literature, the politics of international humanitarian assistance, and black political and social thought.
In addition to a distinguished teaching career, Hussein was tireless in nonpartisan service to the United States government and to international organizations, including the World Bank and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Hussein is survived by his wife, Faduma, and seven children, to whom the class extends heartfelt condolences.