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.

Education and early life Penniman was born on April 5, 1914, in Steger, Illinois, to Alethea B. Penniman and Rae E. Penniman. She attended high school in Lancaster, Wisconsin. She then returned to school, receiving a BA and an MA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She then became the President of the organization in 1966, and was the first woman to do so. She was also a member of the University Committee at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the Merger Implementation Study Committee which made recommendations for restructuring the state university system.

In 1968, Penniman founded the Center for the Study of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and served as its first director. In 1983, the organization was renamed to the La Follette Institute of Public Affairs.

Penniman served on several state commissions and in advocacy groups, including substantial involvement in the League of Women Voters at both the local and state level.

Research Penniman published several books and articles on the topics of taxation policy and public finance, especially in the state of Wisconsin. These include State income tax administration (1959), The politics of taxation (1976), and State income taxation (1980). In 1974, Penniman was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Public Administration.

Penniman retired and became a professor emerita in 1984. However, she continued to publish well after her retirement; she was a co-author of the 1999 book Madison, An Administration History of Wisconsin's Capital City 1929-79. Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Wisconsin Alumni Association (1982) Fellow, National Academy of Public Administration