Ronald J. Pestritto is an American academic. He is the Graduate Dean and Professor of Politics at

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private Conservatism in the United States, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan. It was founded in 1844 by Abolitionism, abolitionists known as Free Will Baptists. Its missio ...

, and the author of two books and the editor of five more.

Early life

Ronald J. Pestritto graduated from

Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and internat ...

with a bachelor of arts degree in government in 1990. He earned a PhD in Political Science from the

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate (Pomona College, Claremont McKenna Co ...

in 1996.

Career

Pestritto was an assistant professor at

Saint Vincent College Saint Vincent College is a private Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, it is operated by the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Benedictine monastery in the ...

from 1997 to 1999. He taught at the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a Private university, private Catholic church, Catholic university in Irving, Texas. Established in 1956, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The university comprises four academi ...

from 1999 to 2006, where he became a tenured associate professor in 2002. He joined Hillsdale College in 2006, and became a full professor in 2012. He has been the dean of the Graduate School since 2010, and he is also the Charles and Lucia Shipley chair in the American Constitution. Additionally, he is affiliated with the

Claremont Institute The Claremont Institute is a conservative think tank based in Upland, California. The institute was founded in 1979 by four students of Harry V. Jaffa. It produces the ''Claremont Review of Books,'' ''The American Mind'', and other publications. ...

, and he has published articles in its ''

Claremont Review of Books The ''Claremont Review of Books'' (''CRB'') is a quarterly review of politics and statesmanship published by the conservative Claremont Institute. A typical issue consists of several book reviews and a selection of essays on topics of conservatis ...

''. Pestritto is the author of two books. His first book, ''Founding the Criminal Law: Punishment and Political Thought in the Origins of America'', "is about penal reform and the philosophy of punishment as both were debated in postrevolutionary America." In a review for the ''

American Political Science Review The ''American Political Science Review'' 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 by Cambridg ...

'', Amy Bunger of Florida State University praised the book for its contextualization of ideas, and added that it could do with more historical examples and policy implementations on a state level. Reviewing it for ''The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science'', Jeffrey Reiman of American University was more critical, dismissing Pestritto's conclusion based on the work of

Ramsey Clark William Ramsey Clark (December 18, 1927 – April 9, 2021) was an American lawyer, activist, and federal government official. A progressive, New Frontier liberal, he occupied senior positions in the United States Department of Justice under Presi ...

and

Karl Menninger Karl Augustus Menninger (July 22, 1893 – July 18, 1990) was an American psychiatrist and a member of the Menninger family of psychiatrists who founded the Menninger Foundation and the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas. Biography Menn ...

as "out of date" by three decades. His second book, ''Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism'', influenced television personality

Glenn Beck Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...

. Pestritto is also the editor of five books, three of which he co-edited with

Thomas G. West Thomas G. West (born 1945) is an American academic. He is a professor of Politics at Hillsdale College, and the author of three books. Early life West was born in 1945. He received his B.A. from Cornell University in 1967 and his Ph.D. from Clar ...

, one of his colleagues at Hillsdale College. Pestritto supported

Donald J. Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

during the 2016 presidential election.

Selected works

As an author

* * *

As an editor

* * * * *

References

External links

Ronald J. Pestritto
on

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

Living people Claremont McKenna College alumni Claremont Graduate University alumni Saint Vincent College faculty University of Dallas faculty Hillsdale College faculty American university and college faculty deans Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-polisci-bio-stub