Richard E. Neustadt Commemoration Page

I placed the following brief statement in U.S. Presidency Links - Russell D. Renka today upon hearing of the death of Dick Neustadt at age 84.  Be tuned for additional material commemorating his life and scholarship.  These will be posted here as they emerge.

Russell Renka, Monday, 3 November 2003

Neustadt, Richard E. (d. 10/31/03):  The patron saint of presidential scholarship, Richard E. Neustadt, died on Friday, October 31, 2003 at the age of 84.  See Guardian Unlimited The Guardian: Richard Neustadt for an obituary by Godfrey Hodgson dated November 3.  (Thanks to Fred Greenstein for this message.)  Be tuned soon to other, more extended statements of the great impact Neustadt had on scholarship on the presidency and on political leadership.

Prof. Richard Neustadt Remembered as Guiding Force in Kennedy School History, issued 11-03-03, is from The John F. Kennedy School of Government where he was Douglas Dillon Professor of Government Emeritus.  Harvard Gazette - Richard Neustadt remembered as guiding force at KSG cites his major work.

Neustadt's passing was also cited in the New York Times at Richard E. Neustadt, Historian Who Advised Three Presidents, Dies at 84.  He was, of course, a political scientist, and a preeminent one at that.  The professional accreditations of the NYT are occasionally blind to distinctions of this kind.

Also see Presidential Scholar, White House Adviser Richard Neustadt Dies (washingtonpost.com) with a fine photograph included here.

RDR, 11/4/03

Memorial Service:

The memorial service for Richard E. Neustadt was held at Harvard's Memorial Church on Thursday, April 15, 2004.  The service is at 5:00 pm at Harvard's Memorial Church.  Thank you to Susan A. Elliott for alerting us to this.  She worked for Professor Neustadt over thirty years ago in the beginning days of the Institute of Politics and the first year of the Public Policy Program at Harvard.  Richard Neustadt's benevolent influence remains with us all.

RDR, 4/5/04

Message on Memorial Service of 15 April 2004 by Susan A. Elliott, transmitted to me via e-mail on April 20:

Dear Mr. Renka:

The memorial service for Richard E. Neustadt, at Harvard's Memorial Church, reflected the great extent to which he was respected and loved in the Harvard community. Lawrence Summers, the President of Harvard University, reminisced about his long friendship with Professor Neustadt and stated that Harvard had intended to award him an honorary degree in June of 2004. Other speakers were Joseph Nye, Jr., Dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government; Professor Neustadt's widow, The Right Honorable Shirley Williams; Roger B. Porter, IBM Professor of Business and Government; the Honorable Joshua Gotbaum; Mrs. Margot C. Lindsay; Ernest R. May, Charles Warren Professor of American History; and Graham T. Allison, Douglas Dillon Professor of Government. The speakers emphasized Prof. Neustadt's unique contributions to political science; his special qualities as a colleague and teacher; his important role in helping found the Kennedy School of Government and the Institute of Politics; and his wonderful sense of humor and wisdom as a compassionate friend. Former Vice-President Albert Gore, Jr. gave a heart-felt tribute to the man who gave him a "private" weekly tutorial in political science when he was an undergraduate at Harvard, and who persuaded him to change his major from English to Government. Mr. Gore conveyed his recognition that his friendship with Richard Neustadt changed his life, and that the friendship and Professor Neustadt's counsel continued throughout his career in public service. Finally, Dick Neustadt's daughter, Elizabeth, told humorous stories of growing up in the Neustadt household. There was a reception that followed the service at the Forum at the JFK School.

I am sorry that you were not able to be at the service. You would have found it very moving, as did all those who filled Memorial Church.

Susan Elliott

Links to other Neustadt commemorations, by:

Martha Joynt Kumar - Richard Elliot Neustadt, 1919-2003 (from White House 2001 Project - Project Organization)

Samples of Writings and Speeches by Richard Neustadt:

President Bush and the War Against Terrorism:  A Premature Appraisal (in pdf) at Edinburgh, 2/20/2002

Encyclopedia entries on Richard Neustadt:

Richard Neustadt from Wikipedia

Richard Neustadt from The Free Encyclopedia

Library archives of Neustadt's work:

Finding Aid to the Personal Papers of Richard Neustadt at JFK Library

Photographs of Richard Neustadt:

Photo of Richard Neustadt from Stanley Rowin Photography, Boston

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