John Jack Pitney, Jr. (born June 18, 1955) is an American political scientist. He is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Politics at Claremont McKenna College.[1]

John Jack Pitney, Jr.
Born (1955-06-18) June 18, 1955 (age 69)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUnion College
Scientific career
FieldsPolitical science
InstitutionsYale University
Claremont McKenna College

Early life and education

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Pitney was born in 1955,[citation needed] the son of a milkman and a homemaker.[2][3][4] He grew up on the west side of Saratoga Springs, New York, where his grandfather told him stories of local political corruption and he volunteered for Richard Nixon's 1968 presidential campaign.[3] He attended Union College, graduating in 1977 as co-valedictorian.[5] He received his doctorate in political science from Yale University in 1985; his dissertation focused on government handling of toxic waste.[5]

Career

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From 1978 to 1984, Pitney worked as a legislative assistant for three Republicans: New York state senator John R. Dunne, Alfonse D'Amato (R‑NY), and future vice president Dick Cheney (then R‑WY AL).[5]

In 1984, he joined the U.S. House Republican Research Committee as a senior domestic policy analyst.[5] In 1986, he joined the faculty of the government department at Claremont McKenna College (CMC).[5] From 1989 to 1991, he took a leave to serve as the deputy director and then acting director of the Republican National Committee's research department.[5]

Pitney is a frequently quoted and interviewed in the political media.[3]

He is also an expert on the politics of autism and wrote a book on the subject.[3]

Pitney was a loud critic of former president Donald Trump and renounced his membership in the Republican Party the night he was elected.[3][6]

Books

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  • Connelly, William F.; Pitney, John J. Jr. (1994). Congress' Permanent Minority?: Republicans in the U.S. House. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8226-3032-6.
  • The Art of Political Warfare. University of Oklahoma Press. September 2001. ISBN 978-0-8061-3382-9.
  • Ceaser, James W.; Busch, Andrew E.; Pitney, John J. Jr. (2009). Epic Journey: The 2008 Elections and American Politics. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-1144-5.
  • Bessette, Joseph M.; Pitney, John J. (2011). American Government and Politics: Deliberation, Democracy and Citizenship (2nd ed.). Belmont, Massachusetts: Wadsworth. ISBN 978-1-133-58789-7.
  • Ceaser, James W.; Busch, Andrew E.; Pitney, John J. Jr. (2013). After Hope and Change The 2012 Elections and American Politics. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-4745-1.
  • Pitney, John J. Jr.; Levin, John-Clark (November 2013). Private Anti-Piracy Navies How Warships for Hire are Changing Maritime Security. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. ISBN 978-0-7391-7332-9.
  • The Politics of Autism: Navigating The Contested Spectrum. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. August 2015. ISBN 978-1-4422-4960-8.
  • Un-American: The Fake Patriotism of Donald J. Trump. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. April 2020. ISBN 978-1-5381-2925-8.

Personal life

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Pitney is married and has two children.[3] His wife works for Disney.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "John J. Pitney, Jr., Ph.D." Claremont McKenna College. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Pitney, John J. (March 7, 1987). "Learning from My Father". John J. Pitney, Jr. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Ding, Jaimie (March 30, 2018). "From Commentary To Classroom: CMC Professor Pitney Discusses His Political Party Shift". The Student Life. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  4. ^ Krieger, Diane (August 27, 2021). "Jack Pitney: Counting his 'great blessings'". Claremont McKenna College. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "John J. Pitney, Jr". John J. Pitney, Jr. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Pitney, John J. Jr. (May 23, 2017). "I was a Republican until Donald Trump hijacked my party". USA Today. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
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