Robert C. (Robert Clarkson) Brooks

Born in 1874, Robert Clarkson Brooks was an American political scientist whose career was closely tied to Swarthmore College. Archival records identify him as a professor of economics there from 1904 to 1908 and as Joseph Wharton Professor of Political Science from 1912 onward.

Brooks wrote widely on politics and public life. Sources from library and public-domain author records list works including Corruption in American Politics and Life, Political Parties and Electoral Problems, Government and Politics of Switzerland, and Russia, the Soviet Way. His writing suggests a lasting interest in how political systems function in practice, from party organization to corruption and comparative government.

He was also recognized within his field at a national level. The American Political Science Association lists Robert C. Brooks of Swarthmore College among its past presidents, serving in 1939–1940. He died in 1941.