author
Cornelius P. Cotter
1924–1999
A leading scholar of American political parties and presidential leadership, his work blended academic research with firsthand experience inside national politics. He also moved comfortably between public service, university life, and even the world of summer theater management.
1 Audiobook
Powers of the President during crises
by J. Malcolm (John Malcolm) Smith, Cornelius P. Cotter
About the author
Born in New York City on March 18, 1924, Cornelius P. Cotter studied at Stanford, earned graduate degrees at Harvard, and also attended the London School of Economics. He became known as an American political scientist whose research centered on civil rights, political parties, and the presidency.
His career took him through several major universities, including Columbia, Stanford, Wichita State, and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where he later served in academic leadership roles. Beyond campus, he worked in Republican Party politics and government, including service connected to the Republican National Committee and the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, giving his scholarship a practical edge.
Cotter died on July 12, 1999, after an automobile accident in California. At the time, he was still writing and remained engaged with questions about presidents and their party organizations, a fitting final chapter for a scholar deeply interested in how American politics actually works.