James MacGregor Burns

James MacGregor Burns
Born(1918-08-03)August 3, 1918
Melrose, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedJuly 15, 2014(2014-07-15) (aged 95)
Williamstown, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education
EmployerWilliams College (1947–1986)
Political partyDemocrat
Spouses
  • Janet Thompson (May 1942, div.)
  • Joan Simpson Meyers (1968–1990)
PartnerSusan Dunn
AwardsPulitzer Prize, 1971
Military career
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchU.S. Army
Years of service?–1945
RankEnlisted man
UnitCombat historian
ConflictsWorld War II, Pacific War, Battle of Saipan
AwardsBronze Star
Notes

James MacGregor Burns (August 3, 1918 – July 15, 2014)[4] was an American historian and political scientist, presidential biographer, and authority on leadership studies. He was the Woodrow Wilson Professor of Government Emeritus at Williams College and Distinguished Leadership Scholar at the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. In 1971 Burns received the Pulitzer Prize[5] and the National Book Award in History and Biography[6] for his work on America's 32nd president, Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom.[7]

Burns shifted the focus of leadership studies from the traits and actions of great men to the interaction of leaders and their constituencies as collaborators working toward mutual benefit.[8] He was best known for his contributions to the transactional, transformational, aspirational, and visionary schools of leadership theory.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Berkshire Eagle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT_obit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Scarpino, Philip (June 24, 2009). "James MacGregor Burns Oral History Interview: Audio & Transcripts". Tobias Leadership Center: Indiana University. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  4. ^ "James MacGregor Burns dies at 95". Politico. July 15, 2014.
  5. ^ "History". Past winners & finalists by category. The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  6. ^ "National Book Awards – 1971". National Book Foundation. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  7. ^ Burns, James MacGregor. Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom, 1940–45. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1970
  8. ^ Burns, James MacGregor. Transforming Leadership: A New Pursuit of Happiness. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2003.