author
James Wilford Garner
1871–1938
A longtime University of Illinois scholar, this early American political scientist wrote widely on government, constitutional law, and international affairs. He is also remembered for an influential early study of Reconstruction in Mississippi.
1 Audiobook
Government in the United States, National, State and Local
by James Wilford Garner
About the author
Born in Pike County, Mississippi, in 1871, James Wilford Garner studied at Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College, the University of Chicago, and Columbia University before building his academic career in political science. He taught briefly at the University of Pennsylvania and then spent most of his professional life at the University of Illinois, where he became a well-known professor in the field.
Garner wrote extensively for both students and scholars. His books covered political science, government, international law, and French public law, and his study Reconstruction in Mississippi became one of his best-known historical works. He also contributed to major reference projects and scholarly discussions of public affairs during the early twentieth century.
He died in Urbana, Illinois, in 1938. His work reflects the broad interests of an era when political science, history, and law were closely connected, and his writing helped shape how generations of readers approached government and public institutions.