Nelson W. Polsby

Nelson Woolf Polsby (October 25, 1934 – February 6, 2007) was an American political scientist. He specialized in the study of the United States presidency, the United States Congress and how governmental policies and practices evolve.

Education Polsby was born in Norwich, Connecticut. He attended Pomfret School, a private school in Pomfret, Connecticut. He got a master's degree and a doctoral degree from Yale in 1958 and 1961.

Career Polsby was a teacher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (1960–61) and Wesleyan University (1961-1968). He then moved to California and started teaching at the University of California, Berkeley in 1967. From 1988 to 1999, he was director of Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS).

Polsby died February 6, 2007, in Berkeley, California, from heart disease.

Awards 1985, Wilbur Cross Medal, Yale University 2003, Frank Goodnow Award for distinguished service, American Political Science Association (APSA)

Publications