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James David Barber Edit Profile

educator political scientist

James David Barber, American Political scientist, retired educator. Samuel S. Fels fellow Yale University, 1957-1960; National Science Foundation fellow, 1961-1963; fellow Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Sciences, 1968-1969; scholar in residence Rockefeller Foundation Study and Conference Center, Bellagio, Italy, 1975.

Background

Barber, James David was born on July 31, 1930 in Charleston, West Virginia, United States. Son of Daniel Newman and Edith (Naismith) Barber.

Education

Bachelor, University of Chicago, 1950; Master of Arts, University of Chicago, 1955; Doctor of Philosophy, Yale University, 1960.

Career

From 1977 to 1995, he taught political science at Duke University. In the 1950s he served in the United States Army as a counter-intelligence agent before attending the University of Chicago, where he earned a master"s degree in political science. He joined the faculty at Duke University in 1972, and he became a fully fledged professor at that institute in 1977.

He devised a system of organizing a president"s character into either active-positive, passive-positive, active-negative, or passive-negative.

Traits of an active-positive president include: a readiness to act, high optimism, and an overall fondness of the presidency. Some examples of presidents Barber cites as active-positive include Franklin Doctorate. Roosevelt, Harry South. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and Gerald Ford.

Traits of a passive-positive president include: a low self-esteem compensated by an ingratiating personality, superficially optimistic, and a desire to please. Examples of passive-positive presidents include William Howard Taft, Ronald Reagan, and Warren G. Harding.

Examples of active-negative presidents include Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, and Richard Nixon.

Traits of a passive-negative president include: a strong sense of duty, desire to avoid power, low self-esteem compensated by service towards others, and an overall aversion to intense political negotiation.

Achievements

  • James David Barber has been listed as a notable Political scientist, educator by Marquis Who's Who.

Works

All works

Politics

He is credited in the field of political science for being the first to examine presidents beyond case studies. Traits of an active-negative president include: lack of deriving joy after expending much effort on tasks, aggressive, highly rigid, and having a general view of power as a means to self-realization.

Membership

Member Charter Commission, Wallingford, Connecticut, 1959-1961, member Board Finance, 1960-1961. Chairman National Coalition for a Responsible Congress, 1970. Board dirs.Univs. National Anti-war Fund, 1970.

Board directors Amnesty International, United States of America, 1981-1985, chairman, 1984-1986. Board directors Center for Public Integrity, since 1990. Chair Committee to Rescue Liberian Children, since 1993.

Served with United States Army, 1953-1955. Member American Association of University Professors, American Political Science Association (county 1976-1977), Association to Unite the Democracies (board directors since 1992), National Association Scholars (board directors since 1991).

Connections

Married Amanda Joan Mackay Smith, November 25, 1972. Children: Sara Naismith, Jane Lewis, Luke David, Silas Higginson.

Father:
Daniel Newman Barber

Mother:
Edith (Naismith) Barber

Spouse:
Amanda Joan Mackay Smith

child:
Luke David Barber

child:
Sara Naismith Barber

child:
Jane Lewis Barber

child:
Silas Higginson Barber