Richard Gelles, who helped draft landmark legislation that affirmed that the safety of a child should supersede attempts to reunite a family, died June 26 under hospice care at his home in Philadelphia. He was 73.

The new law made it easier for children who were languishing in foster care — because their biological parents still had custody — to be put up for adoption.

Dr. Gelles, who taught at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice, where he was also dean for more than a decade, was one of the world’s leading scholars of family violence and child welfare. Over a four-decade career, he wrote 26 books, served as an expert witness in scores of legal cases, and was a prolific contributor to the national conversation about domestic violence.