Russell Muirhead is an American academic, politician, and author serving as a member of the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...

for the Grafton 12 district. He assumed office on December 2, 2020. He is also the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

Early life and education

A native of

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of ...

, Muirhead graduated from Hanover High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

. The recipient of a

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world ...

in 1987, Muirhead earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, politics and economics from

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

. He later received a PhD in government

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

Career

From 1996 to 1998, Muirhead was an assistant professor of political science at

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kille ...

. From 1998 to 2006, he was an assistant and associate professor of government at Harvard University. From 2006 to 2009, he was an associate professor of government at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

. Since 2009, he has been the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics at

. Muirhead is a frequent seminar moderator for the

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...

. Muirhead's research focuses on American politics,

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

, political parties in the United States, and the rise of

conspiracy theories in United States politics Conspiracy theories in United States politics are beliefs that an event or situation in US politics is the result of secretive collusion by powerful people striving to harm a rival group or undermine society in general. Such theories draw from ...

. In 2019, he co-authored ''A Lot of People are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy'' with

Nancy L. Rosenblum Nancy Lipton Rosenblum (born November 10, 1947) is an American political scientist and political philosopher. She is the Senator Joseph S. Clark Professor of Ethics in Politics and Government at Harvard University and co-editor of the '' Annual R ...

. Muirhead was elected to the

in November 2020 and assumed office in December. He is a member of the House Election Law Committee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muirhead, Russell Living people People from Hanover, New Hampshire Harvard College alumni Harvard University alumni Harvard University faculty Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Alumni of the University of Oxford Democratic Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Williams College faculty University of Texas at Austin faculty Dartmouth College faculty Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American legislators