Herman Clarence Nixon (1886 – 1967) was an American

political scientist Political science is the science, scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of politics, political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated c ...

and a member of the

Southern Agrarians The Southern Agrarians were twelve American Southerners who wrote an agrarian literary manifesto in 1930. They and their essay collection, ''I’ll Take My Stand: The South and the Agrarian Tradition'', contributed to the Southern Renaissance, t ...

Early life

Herman Clarence Nixon was born in 1886 in Possum Trot, Alabama. He was educated in the public schools of

Jacksonville, Alabama Jacksonville is a city in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 12,548, which is a 49% increase since 2000. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to Jacks ...

and attended the Jacksonville State normal school, graduating in 1907. He graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now known as

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

.Vanderbilt special collection
He went to graduate school at

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in Europe.

Career

Nixon taught Political Science at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

from 1925 to 1928. During that time, he joined the

and contributed an essay to '' I'll Take My Stand: The South and the Agrarian Tradition''. From 1928 to 1938, he taught at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

. He then taught at Vanderbilt University again, from 1938 to 1955. Nixon served as the President of the

Southern Political Science Association The Southern Political Science Association (SPSA) is an American learned society. It promotes political science in the Southern United States. History The Southern Political Science Association was founded in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. It is indepe ...

in 1944 and 1945, though there was no meeting in 1945. Additionally, he was a member of the Southern Regional Committee of the

Social Science Research Council The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is a US-based, independent, international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing research in the social sciences and related disciplines. Established in Manhattan in 1923, it today maintains a he ...

. Nixon served as the Chairman of the Southern Policy Committee from 1935 to 1937. He lobbied in favor of the Bankhead–Jones Farm Tenant Act of 1937. By 1938, he became the Executive Secretary of the

Southern Conference for Human Welfare The Southern Conference for Human Welfare (SCHW) (1938-1948) was an organization that sought to promote New Deal-type reforms to the South in terms of social justice, civil rights, and electoral reform. It folded due to funding problems and alleg ...

. Even though he quit by 1939, he felt threatened by the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloy ...

. Nevertheless, he joined the

Americans for Democratic Action Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting prog ...

in 1947.

Personal life

Nixon had a son, John Trice Nixon, who served as a

United States federal judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

. His daughter-in-law, Betty C. Nixon, served on the Nashville city council from 1975 to 1987 and later worked for Vanderbilt University. His granddaughter,

Mignon Nixon Mignon Nixon is an American academic. She serves as the Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art History at University College London in London, United Kingdom. Early life Mignon Elizabeth Nixon is the daughter of John Trice Nixon, a United Sta ...

, is a professor at the

Courtauld Institute of Art The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. It is among the most prestigious specialist coll ...

in London.

Death

He died in 1967.

Works

*''Forty Acres and Steel Mules'' (1938). *''Possum Trot: Rural Community, South'' (1941). *''Lower Piedmont Country'' (1946).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nixon, Herman Clarence 1886 births 1967 deaths People from Calhoun County, Alabama People from Jacksonville, Alabama Jacksonville State University alumni Auburn University alumni University of Chicago alumni Vanderbilt University faculty Tulane University faculty University of Missouri faculty Southern Agrarians American political scientists 20th-century American essayists 20th-century political scientists