Nelson Woolf Polsby

Remembering a Great Man

In a turbulent world, Americans have been able to rely upon great stability in their political institutions. They rarely have felt a need to reflect or regret that they have been unfairly deprived of the keen stimulus of occupying armies, or the refreshment of an internal revolution, or the shock of some other constitutional upheaval leading to a wholly new and different domestic political order. ... Nevertheless meaningful change has come to the American political system in living memory, and even to that seemingly rock-solid fortress of continuity and stasis, the United States Congress. — Nelson Polsby, How Congress Evolves: Bases of Institutional Change (2004)

NOTE: The program of the public memorial that was held for Professor Nelson Polsby on Thursday, April 5, 2007 is available here.

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Nelson Woolf Polsby, one of the world's leading experts on American politics and the US Congress, who inspired generations of students and colleagues at the University of California at Berkeley and charmed them with his wit, died on February 6, 2007, at his home in Berkeley. He was 72.

His death was caused by complications associated with heart disease.

From his early work on community power to his most recent book on the transformation of the U.S. House of Representatives into a centralized and fiercely partisan body, colleagues say Professor Polsby reshaped both the academic thinking about and the public's understanding of the American political system.

"Professor Polsby's loss is irreparable — for the department, the university, and the discipline," said Pradeep Chhibber, chair of the Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science at UC Berkeley. "He was an intellectual leader and an icon in the study of American politics. Nelson will be missed not only for his wide-ranging scholarship, his deep and profound knowledge of American politics, but also for his dry wit and humor that enlivened many a department meeting."

Professor Polsby, who was the Heller Professor of Political Science, joined the UC Berkeley faculty in 1967, teaching courses in American politics, Congress and presidential elections and serving as an adviser to numerous graduate students who went on to become prominent scholars.

From 1988 to 1999, Professor Polsby served as director of the Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS), which colleagues say he built into an institution that nurtured some of America's leading scholars and policy practitioners. Its warm and supportive environment was marked by his open-office door, a comfortable chair always available for graduate students, and a daily tradition of afternoon tea where collegiality flourished.

Through his work, colleagues said, Professor Polsby made immense contributions to the study of American politics, leaving an impact few of his peers could match in their books on Congress, presidential elections, political innovation and party reform.

Professor Polsby's most recent book, How Congress Evolves: Social Bases of Institutional Change (Oxford University Press, 2004), drew on data from his several decades of interviews and personal observations of Capitol Hill. In it, Professor Polsby traced the decline of conservative southern Democrats in the House of Representatives and their replacement by a new generation of even more conservative Republicans. In January 2005, Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries named Professor Polsby's book an Outstanding Academic Title for 2004.

His article "The Institutionalization of the U.S. House of Representatives" (American Political Science Review, 1968, 62:144; accessible by UC Berkeley users via JSTOR) was recently celebrated as one of the 20 most influential articles published in American Political Science Review, the discipline's leading journal, since its inception in 1906. In that article, Professor Polsby documented the gradual transformation of the House of Representatives from a relatively simple legislative body into a complex organization, especially during the years from 1890 through 1910, which Professor Polsby called the "big bang" period of institutional modernization in the House.

Professor Polsby also made remarkable contributions to the public's understanding of British politics with the seminal British Government and its Discontents, written with Geoffrey Smith (Basic Books, 1981).

Professor Polsby not only wrote and edited scores of articles for scholarly publications but wrote commentary pieces on politics for leading newspapers and news magazines across the country. He often was quoted in major-media news stories about Congress and the presidency.

Nelson Polsby was born October 25, 1934, in Norwich, Connecticut. His family members were farmers whose interest in public affairs and politics date back to the turn of the 20th century. A great uncle ran for mayor of New Haven as a socialist. Living in Washington DC as a teenager further nurtured Professor Polsby's interest in politics.

"When I was a teenager and my family moved to Washington, I used to get out and hang around Congress," Professor Polsby said in a 2002 interview with Harry Kreisler of the UC Berkeley's Institute of International Studies. "In those days, no guard, no nothing, and you could just hang out and see what they were doing ... Sometimes I'd talk to people, but mostly I'd just watch."

Professor Polsby went on to formally study political science, earning his bachelor's degree in political science from Johns Hopkins University in 1956, a master's degree in sociology from Brown University a year later, and a master's degree and Ph.D. in political science from Yale University in 1958 and 1961, respectively.

Charles O. Jones, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, worked with Professor Polsby when they were both newly-minted Ph.Ds.

"Like so many other scholars, I was heavily influenced in my research and thinking about American politics by Nelson Polsby," said Jones. "We began our careers at the same time.

"We were fascinated by Congress and determined to find out how it worked by going there to watch, interview and mingle. Nelson was never content just to write about the place, though he wrote seminal articles and books. He also wanted to promote scholarship of American politics more generally. We all wanted to know what he thought because his perspective inevitably improved our work. There was no other like him. He was the most animated and witty person I have known in academic life."

Professor Polsby served as a visiting scholar at many of the world's most prestigious universities including Yale, Harvard University, Oxford University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the London School of Economics and Political Science, building an extraordinary global network of students, friends and colleagues. Polsby and his wife of 48 years, Linda O. Polsby, were renowned for opening their home to international political figures, journalists, students and colleagues alike.

Professor Polsby won nearly every award and honor the discipline of political science has to offer, colleagues said. Just a few years ago, in 2002, the American Political Science Association (APSA) honored him with the Frank Goodnow Award for distinguished service to the profession. During the 2005 APSA annual meeting, there was a special panel entitled "Nelson Polsby's Congress."

Professor Polsby served as managing editor of American Political Science Review; he held two Guggenheim Fellowships, as well as fellowships from the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the Brookings Institution; and he was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Academy of Public Administration. He also received the Yale Medal, an award for outstanding service by alumni that is the highest honor given by the university's alumni association.

In addition to his wife, Professor Polsby is survived by his three children, Lisa Susan Polsby of Naperville, Illinois, Emily A. Polsby of Berkeley, and Daniel R. Polsby of Mountain View, California; his mother, Edythe Woolf Polsby Salzberger of Washington DC; his brothers, Daniel D. Polsby of Fairfax, Virginia, and Allen I. Polsby of Bethesda, Maryland; and two grandchildren.

A memorial fund for graduate students in honor of Nelson Polsby has been established. If you would like more information on the fund or on how to make a donation, the family asks that you send an e-mail to polsbymemorial@yahoo.com. More details about the fund are available here.

Note: IGS has also created a Nelson Polsby Tribute Page for testimonials to the late Professor Polsby from friends, colleagues, and others who wish to pay their respects.

Nelson Polsby shed light where others saw only dim outlines. If the world of politics is a grand ballroom, Nelson was its chandelier, illuminating the entirety with brilliance and clarity. His death ... leaves us all in the shadows. — Robert Reich