Michael Nelson

Michael Nelson (born June 11, 1949) is an American political scientist, noted for his work on the Presidency and elections. He is a Fulmer Professor of Political Science at Rhodes College.

Early life Nelson was born and raised in New Milford, New Jersey. He studied at the College of William and Mary and graduated in 1971 with a BA. Afterward, he received both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University.

Career Nelson was an Assistant Professor (1979–1984) and then Associate Professor (1984–1991) at Vanderbilt University. He was appointed Professor of Political Science at Rhodes College in 1991 and has been Fulmer Professor of Political Science there since 2005. He was a Compton Visiting Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia (2010) and has been a Senior Fellow at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia since 2007. Debating the Presidency: Conflicting Perspectives on the American Executive, 5th ed., with Richard J. Ellis (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2020 Crucible: The President's First Year, coeditor with Stefanie Abbott and Jeffrey Chidester. (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018). The Evolving Presidency: Other Landmark Documents, 6th ed., editor (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2018). The Election of 2016, editor. (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2017). 42: Inside the Bill Clinton Presidency, coeditor with Barbara Perry and Russell Riley. (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2016). Resilient America: Electing Nixon in 1968, Channeling Dissent, and Dividing Government(Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2014). The Presidency and the Political System, editor (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press, 11th ed., 2014). 41: Inside the George H.W. Bush Presidency, coeditor with Barbara A. Perry (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2014). The Elections of 2012, editor (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2014). Guide to the Presidency and the Executive Branch 4th ed., editor (Washington: Congressional Quarterly, 2013). Governing at Home: The White House and Domestic Policymaking, coeditor with Russell L. Riley (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2011). The President’s Words: Speeches and Speechwriting in the Modern White House, coeditor with Russell L. Riley (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2010). The Elections of 2008, editor (Washington, D.C: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2010). How the South Joined the Gambling Nation: The Politics of State Policy Innovation, with John Mason (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2007). The Elections of 2004, editor (Washington, D.C: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2005). The Elections of 2000, editor. (Washington, D.C: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2001). Governing Gambling: Politics and Policy in State, Tribe, and Nation, with John Mason (Washington: Century Foundation/Brookings Institution, 2001). Alive at the Core: Exemplary Approaches to General Education in the Humanities, with associates (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000). Celebrating the Humanities: A Half-Century of the Search Course at Rhodes College, editor (Nashville, Tenn.: Vanderbilt University Press, 1996). The Elections of 1996, editor (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1997). The Elections of 1992, editor. (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1993). Historic Documents on Presidential Elections 1787-1988, editor (Washington: Congressional Quarterly, 1992). The Elections of 1988, editor (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1989). A Heartbeat Away (Washington: Brookings Institution, 1988). Presidential Selection, coeditor with Alexander Heard (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1987). The Elections of 1984, editor (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1985). Presidents, Politics and Policy, with Erwin C. Hargrove (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press and New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984). The Culture of Bureaucracy, coeditor with Charles Peters (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1979).