John Aldrich (political scientist)


John Herbert Aldrich is an American political scientist and author, known for his research and writings on American politics, elections, and political parties, and on formal theory and methodology in political science.
Aldrich graduated with a B.A. in political science from Allegheny College in 1969. He attended graduate school at the University of Rochester, completing an M.A. in 1971 and a PhD degree in 1975. Aldrich taught at Michigan State University from 1974 to 1981 and at the University of Minnesota from 1981 to 1987, when he joined the faculty at Duke University as a professor of political science.
Aldrich won the Heinz Eulau Award in 1990 for the best article in the American Political Science Review. His book Why Parties? received the Gladys Kammerer Award from the American Political Science Association for the best book on U.S. national politics.
Aldrich was co-editor of the American Journal of Political Science from 1985 to 1988 and was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2001. He was also president of the Southern Political Science Association for 1998-99 and of the Midwest Political Science Association for 2005.

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