I finished my degree in Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at MSU-IIT in 2009. A couple of weeks ago, I searched the net for a list of people who also had the same major, but to my dismay, I found none.
I then took the matters into my own hands and single-handedly searched the educational background of some famous people whom I discovered having Political Science degrees. Together with law, these degrees seem to be the most popular for current and aspiring politicians, but the fact is, people pursue to all sorts of careers afterwards.
So here’s My List of Thirty Famous People Who Majored in Political Science (#10 to #1). You might want to check out those who made it to the 30th to 21st spots here; 20th to 11th spots, here.
And as how we chant it at MSU-IIT - Sikhai PolSci!
Biden went to law school at the Syracuse University College of Law and proceeded to receive his J.D. in 1968. Before becoming a lawyer, Biden majored in both History and Political science at the University of Delaware.
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American writer, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, he served as a national security consultant for Nixon's government. Kissinger was recognized for his astute and sharp policies through which he survived the notorious Watergate scandal that declined the complete Nixon administration.
A proponent of Realpolitik, Kissinger played a dominant role in United States foreign policy between 1969 and 1977. During this period, he pioneered the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, orchestrated the opening of relations with the People's Republic of China, and negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, ending American involvement in the Vietnam War. Various American policies of that era remain controversial today.
Henry Kissinger received his A.B. degree summa cum laude in political science at Harvard College in 1950, where he lived in Adams House and studied under William Yandell Elliott.
William J. "Bill" Simmons III is a sports columnist, author, and podcaster. Nicknamed "The Sports Guy", Simmons gained the attention of ESPN with his web site; BostonSportsGuy.com. He currently writes columns and hosts podcasts for Grantland.com, which is affiliated with ESPN.com. He is a former writer for ESPN, The Magazine, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
He graduated in 1992 with a B.A. in Political Science from College of Holy Cross.
She was a professor of political science at Stanford University. In March 2009, Rice returned to Stanford University as a political science professor and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution.
In 1974, at age 19, Rice was awarded a B.A., cum laude, in political science by the University of Denver. She obtained a master's degree in political science from the University of Notre Dame in 1975. In 1981, at the age of 26, she received her Ph.D. in political science from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.
or Miriam Palma Defensor, is the first Asian to be elected to the International Criminal Court. She is also a member of the Senate of the Philippines. She is a lawyer, former trial judge and lecturer on constitutional and international law. She served as the Commissioner of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration and Deportation in 1988 and the Secretary of the Philippines' Department of Agrarian Reform from 1989 to 1991. She is the founder and current leader of the center-right People's Reform Party allied with former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and is a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service awarded by the Junior Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.
In 1997, the Australian magazine named her one of "The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World." In later years, Miriam was keynote speaker of the international anticorruption conference in Sydney, Australia. As senator, she sponsored and secured ratification by the Philippine Senate of the UN Convention Against Corruption. Also known for as the “Iron Lady of Asia”, Santiago graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, magna cum laude from the University of the Philippines Visayas in 1965.
Born Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer on February 13, 1944, he is an American television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991. He is a former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio,[1] a former news anchor and a musician.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Political Science from Tulane University in 1965,
He began his political career as an intern for Congressman William A. Steiger, eventually working his way into the White House during the Nixon and Ford administrations, where he served the latter as White House Chief of Staff. In 1978, Cheney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming; he was reelected five times. Cheney was selected to be the Secretary of Defense during the presidency of George H. W. Bush, holding the position for the majority of Bush's term. During this time, Cheney oversaw the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, among other actions.
Cheney was chairman and CEO of Halliburton Company from 1995 to 2000. He attended the University of Wyoming, where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in political science.
President Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924) was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. He served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913. Running against Progressive Party candidate Theodore Roosevelt and Republican candidate William Howard Taft, he was elected President as a Democrat in 1912.
Back in 1883, he applied to the Johns Hopkins University to study for a doctorate in history and Political Science and began his studies in the fall [2].
Born Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (b. October 26, 1947), she is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. In 1965, Hillary Rodham enrolled at Wellesley College, where she majored in Political Science [3].
Currently the world’s most powerful man, President Barack Obama is the first African American to hold the office. He previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.
As president, Obama signed economic stimulus legislation in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 in response to the 2007–2009 recession in the United States. Other major domestic policy initiatives include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, and the Budget Control Act of 2011.
In foreign policy, Obama ended US military involvement in the Iraq War, increased troop levels in Afghanistan, signed the New START arms control treaty with Russia, ordered U.S. military involvement in Libya, and ordered the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.
In May 2012, he became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support legalizing same-sex marriage. Back in 1981, he majored in Political Science with a specialty in international relations Columbia at University in New York City [4]. He was again re-elected as president for his second term.
References:
[1] "Springer, Gerald N." Tulane University Alumni Directory 2002, New Orleans: Tulane U. p. 761[2] Mulder, John H. (1978). Woodrow Wilson: The Years of Preparation. Princeton. pp. 71–72.
[3] Clinton, Hillary Rodham (May 29, 1992). "Hillary Rodham Clinton Remarks to Wellesley College Class of 1992". Wellesley College. Retrieved June 1, 2007. Available at: http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Commencement/1992/speecheshrc.html
[4] http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct_archive/jan05/cover.php
Photo Credits:
http://dyn.politico.com/tag/joe-biden
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1973/kissinger-bio.html
http://www.goldderby.com/emmys/news/1529/can-espn-score-at-emmys-with-'30-for-30'-documentaries-[video].html
http://dr-condoleezza-rice.blogspot.com/http://psychicramta.blogspot.com/2011/12/senator-miriam-defensor-santiagos.html
http://www.celebritydetective.com/cmntyprofile-jerry-springer.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Rodham_Clinton
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wilson/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_obama
Author’s Note:
To all the political science majors out there, if you known a famous person (politician, actor, businessman, etc.) in your country who also took up Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, please add to something to this list by leaving it in the comment box below.
I then took the matters into my own hands and single-handedly searched the educational background of some famous people whom I discovered having Political Science degrees. Together with law, these degrees seem to be the most popular for current and aspiring politicians, but the fact is, people pursue to all sorts of careers afterwards.
So here’s My List of Thirty Famous People Who Majored in Political Science (#10 to #1). You might want to check out those who made it to the 30th to 21st spots here; 20th to 11th spots, here.
And as how we chant it at MSU-IIT - Sikhai PolSci!
10. Joe Biden
He is probably best known for running along side US President Barrack Obama in the 2008 United States Elections. Biden studied at the University of Delaware in Newark where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree.Biden went to law school at the Syracuse University College of Law and proceeded to receive his J.D. in 1968. Before becoming a lawyer, Biden majored in both History and Political science at the University of Delaware.
9. Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American writer, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, he served as a national security consultant for Nixon's government. Kissinger was recognized for his astute and sharp policies through which he survived the notorious Watergate scandal that declined the complete Nixon administration.
A proponent of Realpolitik, Kissinger played a dominant role in United States foreign policy between 1969 and 1977. During this period, he pioneered the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, orchestrated the opening of relations with the People's Republic of China, and negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, ending American involvement in the Vietnam War. Various American policies of that era remain controversial today.
Henry Kissinger received his A.B. degree summa cum laude in political science at Harvard College in 1950, where he lived in Adams House and studied under William Yandell Elliott.
8. Bill Simmons
William J. "Bill" Simmons III is a sports columnist, author, and podcaster. Nicknamed "The Sports Guy", Simmons gained the attention of ESPN with his web site; BostonSportsGuy.com. He currently writes columns and hosts podcasts for Grantland.com, which is affiliated with ESPN.com. He is a former writer for ESPN, The Magazine, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
He graduated in 1992 with a B.A. in Political Science from College of Holy Cross.
7. Condoleezza Rice
Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush. Rice was the first female African-American secretary of state, as well as the second African American (after Colin Powell), and the second woman (after Madeleine Albright).She was a professor of political science at Stanford University. In March 2009, Rice returned to Stanford University as a political science professor and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution.
In 1974, at age 19, Rice was awarded a B.A., cum laude, in political science by the University of Denver. She obtained a master's degree in political science from the University of Notre Dame in 1975. In 1981, at the age of 26, she received her Ph.D. in political science from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.
6. Miriam Defensor-Santiago
or Miriam Palma Defensor, is the first Asian to be elected to the International Criminal Court. She is also a member of the Senate of the Philippines. She is a lawyer, former trial judge and lecturer on constitutional and international law. She served as the Commissioner of the Philippine Bureau of Immigration and Deportation in 1988 and the Secretary of the Philippines' Department of Agrarian Reform from 1989 to 1991. She is the founder and current leader of the center-right People's Reform Party allied with former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and is a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for government service awarded by the Junior Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.
In 1997, the Australian magazine named her one of "The 100 Most Powerful Women in the World." In later years, Miriam was keynote speaker of the international anticorruption conference in Sydney, Australia. As senator, she sponsored and secured ratification by the Philippine Senate of the UN Convention Against Corruption. Also known for as the “Iron Lady of Asia”, Santiago graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, magna cum laude from the University of the Philippines Visayas in 1965.
5. Jerry Springer
Born Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer on February 13, 1944, he is an American television presenter, best known as host of the tabloid talk show The Jerry Springer Show since its debut in 1991. He is a former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio,[1] a former news anchor and a musician.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Political Science from Tulane University in 1965,
4. Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States (2001–2009), under George W. Bush.He began his political career as an intern for Congressman William A. Steiger, eventually working his way into the White House during the Nixon and Ford administrations, where he served the latter as White House Chief of Staff. In 1978, Cheney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming; he was reelected five times. Cheney was selected to be the Secretary of Defense during the presidency of George H. W. Bush, holding the position for the majority of Bush's term. During this time, Cheney oversaw the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, among other actions.
Cheney was chairman and CEO of Halliburton Company from 1995 to 2000. He attended the University of Wyoming, where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in political science.
3. President Woodrow Wilson
President Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924) was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. He served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913. Running against Progressive Party candidate Theodore Roosevelt and Republican candidate William Howard Taft, he was elected President as a Democrat in 1912.
Back in 1883, he applied to the Johns Hopkins University to study for a doctorate in history and Political Science and began his studies in the fall [2].
2. Hillary Clinton
Born Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (b. October 26, 1947), she is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. In 1965, Hillary Rodham enrolled at Wellesley College, where she majored in Political Science [3].
1. President Barack Obama
As president, Obama signed economic stimulus legislation in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 in response to the 2007–2009 recession in the United States. Other major domestic policy initiatives include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, and the Budget Control Act of 2011.
In foreign policy, Obama ended US military involvement in the Iraq War, increased troop levels in Afghanistan, signed the New START arms control treaty with Russia, ordered U.S. military involvement in Libya, and ordered the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.
In May 2012, he became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support legalizing same-sex marriage. Back in 1981, he majored in Political Science with a specialty in international relations Columbia at University in New York City [4]. He was again re-elected as president for his second term.
References:
[1] "Springer, Gerald N." Tulane University Alumni Directory 2002, New Orleans: Tulane U. p. 761[2] Mulder, John H. (1978). Woodrow Wilson: The Years of Preparation. Princeton. pp. 71–72.
[3] Clinton, Hillary Rodham (May 29, 1992). "Hillary Rodham Clinton Remarks to Wellesley College Class of 1992". Wellesley College. Retrieved June 1, 2007. Available at: http://www.wellesley.edu/PublicAffairs/Commencement/1992/speecheshrc.html
[4] http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct_archive/jan05/cover.php
Photo Credits:
http://dyn.politico.com/tag/joe-biden
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1973/kissinger-bio.html
http://www.goldderby.com/emmys/news/1529/can-espn-score-at-emmys-with-'30-for-30'-documentaries-[video].html
http://dr-condoleezza-rice.blogspot.com/http://psychicramta.blogspot.com/2011/12/senator-miriam-defensor-santiagos.html
http://www.celebritydetective.com/cmntyprofile-jerry-springer.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Rodham_Clinton
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wilson/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_obama
Author’s Note:
To all the political science majors out there, if you known a famous person (politician, actor, businessman, etc.) in your country who also took up Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, please add to something to this list by leaving it in the comment box below.
thanks for this!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary Meyan. Thanks a lot for the support.
DeleteOverall, this is a good list. The two most interesting persons on your list are Bill Simmons and Jerry Springer. They're interesting because they are not involved in politics or public policy at a high level but in cable and broadcast television. I would like to see a list with more non-intuitive or surprising entries such as Bill Simmons and Jerry Springer.
ReplyDelete