Martin Luther Kilson Jr. (February 14, 1931 – April 24, 2019) 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 ...

. He was the first black academic to be appointed a full professor 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 ...

, where he was later the Frank G. Thomson Professor of Government from 1988 until his retirement in 1999.

Early life

Martin Luther Kilson Jr. was born on February 14, 1931, in

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

, to Martin and Louisa Kilson. The family moved to

Ambler, Pennsylvania Ambler is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is located approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the Center City Philadelphia. History Lenape The historical territory of the Lenni Lenape was in the Delaware River Valley, in a ...

, and the younger Kilson attended Ambler High School before graduating at the top of his class at Lincoln University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1953. He was granted a John Hay Whitney Fellowship and completed his education at

, graduating with a master's degree in 1958 and a doctorate the following year. Kilson used a

Ford Foundation Fellowship The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

to undertake field research in West Africa.

Career

Kilson returned to Harvard and accepted a lectureship at the university in 1962; he was appointed assistant professor in 1967. Two years later, he became Harvard's first fully tenured African-American academic. Kilson was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

in 1975 and became the Frank G. Thomson Professor of Government at Harvard in 1988. At the start of his academic career, Kilson became known for his research into African American studies, and became an adviser for the Association of African and Afro-American Students at Harvard. Kilson also compiled works relating to

comparative politics Comparative politics is a field in political science characterized either by the use of the ''comparative method'' or other empirical methods to explore politics both within and between countries. Substantively, this can include questions relatin ...

, focusing within the field on

African studies African studies is the study of Africa, especially the continent's cultures and societies (as opposed to its geology, geography, zoology, etc.). The field includes the study of Africa's history (pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial), demography ...

. Kilson's 1966 book, ''Political Change in a West African State: A Study of the Modernization Process in Sierra Leone'', was reviewed extensively. After retiring from teaching in 1999, Kilson continued to write and occasionally lecture. In 2002, he wrote a review for ''The Black Commentator'' critical of

Randall Kennedy Randall LeRoy Kennedy (born September 10, 1954) is an American law professor at Harvard University and author. He is the Michael R. Klein Professor of Law and his research focuses on the intersection of racial conflict and legal institutions in ...

for the title of his book, '' Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word''. In 2010, Kilson was featured in Harvard's annual W. E. B. DuBois lectures. He also wrote his final book, ''The Transformation of the African American Intelligentsia, 1880–2012'', which was published in 2014.

Personal life

Kilson and his wife Marion Dusser de Barenne had three children and they lived in

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...

. He died on April 24, 2019, from

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

. His alma mater Lincoln University had planned to present Kilson with an honorary degree at its commencement ceremony in spring 2019.

Selected bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilson, Martin Luther 1931 births 2019 deaths African-American political scientists American political scientists Harvard University faculty Harvard University alumni Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) alumni People from Ambler, Pennsylvania People from East Rutherford, New Jersey People from Lexington, Massachusetts Academics from New Jersey 20th-century social scientists 21st-century American male writers 20th-century American male writers 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American writers American Africanists Black studies scholars African-American male writers