James Kerr Pollock (May 25, 1898 – October 4, 1968) was an American political scientist. Pollock Clay Muller Newman 1945

He was born on May 25, 1898, in New Castle, Pennsylvania and attended the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees, from 1916 to 1921. Between 1921 and 1925, Pollock completed a doctorate at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. Concurrently, Pollock taught at

Geneva College Geneva College is a private Christian college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional undergra ...

and at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

. He began teaching at Michigan in 1925 as a lecturer, and was named full professor in 1934. Pollock was chair of the department of political science between 1947 and 1961, and held the Murfin professorship from 1948 to retirement in 1968. Pollock was appointed the first director of the Michigan Civil Service Study Commission in 1935. From 1947 to 1949, he was a member of the Hoover Commission. Pollock served as president of the

American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...

from 1949 to 1950, and later led the International Political Science Association from 1955 to 1958. He specialized in the politics of Germany, and served as an adviser to the United States federal government during and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. For his public service, United States President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

awarded Pollock the

Medal for Merit The Medal for Merit was, during the period it was awarded, the highest civilian decoration of the United States. It was awarded by the President of the United States to civilians who "distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious conduct i ...

in 1946. The German government bestowed upon Pollock the Grand Cross Order of Merit in 1956, followed by the Knight Commander's Cross thee years later. Pollock died on October 4, 1968, months after retirement from the University of Michigan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, James K. 1898 births 1968 deaths American political scientists Medal for Merit recipients Harvard University alumni University of Michigan alumni University of Michigan faculty People from New Castle, Pennsylvania Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century political scientists Presidents of the International Political Science Association