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Political Scholar Richard Neustadt Dies

Posted on: Saturday, 1 November 2003, 06:00 CST

Richard E. Neustadt, the presidential adviser, scholar and historian whose book "Presidential Power and The Modern Presidents" became a staple of courses in presidential leadership, has died, a spokesman for Harvard's Kennedy School of Government said. He was 84.

Neustadt died in England on Friday, school spokesman Jesus Mena said.

"He was certainly one of our most valuable emeritus professors," Kennedy School Dean Joseph Nye said. "He provided students with an understanding of American presidency, greater than any other faculty member could have, from his direct experience and from his books."

A former adviser to Presidents Truman, Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Neustadt also wrote many books on the U.S. presidency, including "Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents: The Politics of Leadership," which offered his insights into government decision making.

Neustadt, one of the first professors at the Kennedy School, taught there for more than two decades before becoming a professor emeritus in 1989.

He was a recipient of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award from the American Political Science Association in 1961. Last year, he was awarded the first award for portrayal of the U.S. presidency from the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery.

"Professor Neustadt spent a lifetime advancing the public understanding of the American presidency," former President Clinton said in a statement. "I am grateful for the friendship and wise counsel he gave to me."

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