Clara Penniman

Clara Penniman (April 5, 1914—January 30, 2009) was an American political scientist. She was a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1953 until 1984, and from 1974 onwards she held the Oscar Rennebohm Chair for Public Administration. Penniman was also the founder and first director of the Center for the Study of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which later became the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs. Penniman was the first woman to be the chair of the department of political science at the University of Wisconsin, and the first woman to be elected president of the Midwest Political Science Association. She was a specialist in taxation and public finance, publishing several books and articles on these topics.