Ada Weintraub Finifter (June 6, 1938—October 29, 2011) was an American

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. She specialized in American public opinion and voting behavior.

Education and academic positions

Finifter was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

on June 6, 1938. Finifter graduated from

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

with a degree in political science in 1959, and then earned an MA at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. Finifter then joined the political science faculty at

Andrés Bello Catholic University Andrés Bello Catholic University () is a private university in Venezuela. One of the largest universities in Venezuela, UCAB has campuses in several cities, such as Caracas (main campus), Los Teques, Guayana Region, Guayana, and Coro region, Cor ...

as a member of the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...

, working there for one year before returning to the United States and beginning a political science PhD at the

University of Wisconsin, Madison A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

. There she studied with

J. Austin Ranney J. Austin Ranney (September 23, 1920 – July 24, 2006) was an American political scientist and expert on political parties in the United States. Education Ranney earned his bachelor's degree at Northwestern University, his master's degree at t ...

, obtaining her PhD in 1967. Finifter was hired as a political science professor at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

, becoming an associate professor in 1972 and a professor in 1981. In 1978, Finifter was a visiting scholar at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

Research

Finifter wrote several books, one of the most notable being ''Alienation and the Social System'' (1972). She also wrote an early text on personal computer use, ''Using the IBM Personal Computer: EasyWriter'' (1984). She edited several books as well, including ''The State of the Discipline'' (1983). Finifter was the president of the

Midwest Political Science Association The Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) is a professional association of political scientists in the United States. It was founded in 1939, and publishes the '' American Journal of Political Science'' in conjunction with Rice University. ...

in the year 1986–87. She was the editor of the ''

American Political Science Review The ''American Political Science Review'' (''APSR'') is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all areas of political science. It is an official journal of the American Political Science Association and is published on their behalf ...

'' from March 1996 until December 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finifter, Ada 1938 births 2011 deaths Writers from Brooklyn Academics from New York (state) American women academics American women political scientists American political scientists 20th-century American women writers University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Brooklyn College alumni University of Michigan alumni Michigan State University faculty Academic staff of Andrés Bello Catholic University 21st-century American women