John J. Pitney

John Jack Pitney, Jr.
Born	(1955-06-18) June 18, 1955 (age 69)
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Union College
Scientific career
Fields	Political science
Institutions	Yale University Claremont McKenna College

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]

Early life and education

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

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

• 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

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

References

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. 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. "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.

External links

• Official website
• Claremont McKenna College faculty page
• Appearances on C-SPAN