Leon David Epstein (May 29, 1919 – August 1, 2006) was an American political scientist.

Life and career

He was born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

on May 29, 1919, and raised in

Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Beaver Dam is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States, along Beaver Dam Lake (Wisconsin), Beaver Dam Lake and the Beaver Dam River. The population was 16,708 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city primarily located in Dodge Co ...

. He enrolled at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

in 1936 to study economics, earning his bachelor's and master's degree in 1940 and 1941, respectively. While serving in the military, Epstein was stationed in the United Kingdom and took classes at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. He subsequently completed a doctorate at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1948. Epstein began teaching at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

in 1947, and accepted a faculty position at his alma mater, UW–Madison, in 1949. Two years later, Epstein was promoted to associate professor, followed by full professor status in 1958. He chaired the political science department from 1960 to 1963, and was dean of the College of Letters and Sciences between 1965 and 1969. Epstein led the

Midwest Political Science Association The Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) is a professional association of political scientists in the United States. It was founded in 1939, and publishes the '' American Journal of Political Science'' in conjunction with Rice University. ...

in 1972, and served as president of the

American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political scientists in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, it publishes four ...

from 1977 to 1978. He received a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

in 1979. Epstein retired from teaching in 1988, and became the Hilldale Professor of Political Science, Emeritus. He died at home in Madison on August 1, 2006, of injuries from a fall. The Leon Epstein Outstanding Book Award given by the American Political Science Association is named for Esptein. He was married to Shirley Golewitz from 1948 to her death in 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein, Leon 1919 births 2006 deaths University of Chicago alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Writers from Milwaukee People from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Wisconsin 20th-century American political scientists