James MacGregor Burns

For decades, James MacGregor Burns has been one of America's most astute political thinkers. Long committed to the highest values of the Democratic Party, Burns was a Democratic nominee for the 1st Congressional District of Massachusetts in 1958. He served as a delegate to four Democratic National Conventions. He remains an outspoken commentator on American politics.

Burns is Woodrow Wilson Professor of Government Emeritus at Williams College. He is past president of the American Political Science Association and of the International Society of Political Psychology. Burns won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the Francis Parkman Prize for his biographies Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox and Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom.

His textbook Government by the People is now in its twenty-first edition and his book, Leadership, remains the seminal work in the field of leadership studies. He has written numerous other books including Transforming Leadership, Dead Center: Clinton-Gore Leadership and the Perils of Moderation (with Georgia Sorenson), and The Three Roosevelts (with Susan Dunn).

Burns has written for publications including the New York Times, Harper's, The Atlantic Monthly, and Newsweek. He has appeared on programs including "Booknotes with Brian Lamb," "Now with Bill Moyers," "All Things Considered," "Meet the Press," and "Diane Rehm." He lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts.