Ross Marlo Anthony Lence, was a professor of

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

at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

from 1971 to 2006, where he was John and Rebecca Moores Scholar and held the Ross M. Lence Distinguished Teaching Chair. He taught

Political Philosophy Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, l ...

, American Political Thought, and American Government as a member of the Political Science and Honors College faculties. His edited volume of the works of

John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He ...

, ''Union and Liberty: The Political Philosophy of John C. Calhoun,'' is one of the foremost references on Calhoun. Lence was the recipient of an unprecedented number of Teaching Excellence Awards from the University of Houston and the State of Texas. In January 2007, in memory of Lence, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the

renamed its teaching excellence awards the Ross M. Lence Awards for Teaching Excellence in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

Biography

Lence was born in Whitefish, Montana on December 19, 1943. His father, Marlo, was a foreman on the Great Northern Railway; his mother, Nickie stayed home to raise Ross and his brother, John, before taking a job to run a photography studio. Ross graduated from Whitefish High School with a 4.0 GPA and was

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

of his class. After completing his Bachelor's Degree at the University of Chicago, in 1966 Ross studied at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, then at Indiana University under Charles S. Hyneman, who took Ross on a 15,000 mile, 5-year trip across America to give Ross first-hand experience of the country. He graduated from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

in 1970 with a Ph.D. In 1970, Ross researched at

The British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It documen ...

. He began teaching at the

in 1971, where he also served as Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Political Science for 23 years. Throughout his career, Lence was a perennial participant, leader, and director at Liberty Fund Colloquia. He died on July 11, 2006 in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

after a bout with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

Scholarship

As a scholar, Ross published articles and edited books on American Political Thought. His article on Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence offered a deliberate, close reading of the Declaration as the key founding document in American political history. This article has been made accessible with permission.Ross Lence,
Thomas Jefferson & the Declaration of Independence: The Power of a Free People
'' The Imaginative Conservative'', July 3, 2021

References

Ross M. Lence, R.I.P.University of Houston Honors College TributeTed Estess' EulogyRoss M. Lence "On Teaching"The Abbeville Institute's TributeHouston Chronicle Obituary Guestbook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lence, Ross Marlo Anthony 1943 births 2006 deaths American political scientists People from Whitefish, Montana Indiana University alumni University of Chicago alumni University of Houston faculty 20th-century political scientists

Biography

Scholarship

See also

References