Summary
Overview
Arnold A. Rogow Papers on James V. Forrestal
1933-1993 (mostly 1940-1960)
Abstract
Arnold A. Rogow (1924-2006) was a political scientist, author, and psychotherapist. His main area of research was psychological explanations for politics, especially the decision-making of leaders, notably James Forrestal and Alexander Hamilton. The Rogow Papers are composed of materials he collected for his book James Forrestal: A Study of Personality, Politics, and Policy (The Macmillan Press: New York, 1963) and include correspondence with individuals who knew Forrestal, Rogow's notes, and other research materials.
Description
Description
The Rogow Papers are composed of materials he collected for his book James Forrestal: A Study of Personality, Politics, and Policy (The Macmillan Press: New York, 1963) and include correspondence with individuals who knew Forrestal, Rogow's notes, and other research materials. Also included are copies of some of Forrestal's correspondence and materials related to the publication of the book.
Collection Creator
Biography
Arnold A. Rogow (1924-2006) was a political scientist, author, and psychotherapist. His main area of research was psychological explanations for politics, especially the decision-making of leaders, notably James Forrestal and Alexander Hamilton.
Rogow taught at the University of Iowa and Stanford University before becoming a professor of political science at the City College of New York (part of CUNY) in 1966, where he remained for the rest of his career. Soon after coming to New York, Rogow studied at the New York Psychoanalytic Institute and became a practicing psychotherapist in addition to his academic responsibilities. Rogow became a leading figure in the study of the psychodymanics of political behavior and was instrumental in establishing it as a cross-field interdisciplinary concentration at CUNY. He also served as the associate editor of the Journal of Conflict Resolution from 1956 to 1963 and was a member of the original editorial committee of Comparative Politics.
Rogow was a pioneer and prolific writer in the field of psychiatry and politics, and wrote or edited over a dozen books, as well as numerous articles, during his career utilizing his psychoanalytic expertise. His major works include James Forrestal: A Study of Personality, Politics, and Policy (1963), Power, Corruption and Rectitude with Harold D. Laswell (1963), The Psychiatrists (1970), The Dying of the Light: A Searching Look at America Today (1975), Thomas Hobbes: Radical in the Service of Reaction (1986), and A Fatal Friendship: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr (1998). His book on James Forrestal, the first Secretary of Defense and the nation's highest-ranking individual to later commit suicide, was Rogow's first major work to utilize psychology to examine a political figure. Rogow relied on both the archival record and interviews or correspondence with over fifty individuals who knew Forrestal in various capacities, including some of the psychiatrists involved in treating his illness, to identify the factors which led Forrestal to commit suicide in 1949.
Arnold Austin Rogow was born on August 10, 1924 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He earned his B.A. in political science from the University of Wisconsin in 1947 after interrupting his undergraduate education to serve in the Army as an infantryman during World War II. Rogow earned his Ph.D. in political science from Princeton University in 1953, where he wrote his dissertation on "The Labor Government and British Industry, 1945-1951." He married Patricia Evans and they had three children: Jennifer, Sarah, and Jeanne. Rogow died on February 14, 2006 at the age of 81.
Collection History
Acquisition
Gift of Arnold A. Rogow in November 2001 [ML.2001.009].
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Adriane Hanson in 2009. Finding aid written by Adriane Hanson in April 2009.
Sponsorship
These papers were processed with the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Bibliography
The following sources were consulted during the preparation of the biographical note: "Arnold A. Rogow, 81, a Writer Who Put History on the Couch" by Douglas Martin. The New York Times, March 2, 2006. Daily Closeup: "A Sickness..." by Lindsy Van Gelder. The New York Post, April 10, 1970. Obituary of Arnold A. Rogow by Benjamin Rivin. Comparative Politics, v. 39, no. 1, October 2006.
Access and Use
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research use.
Use Restrictions
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Curator of the Public Policy Papers. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Arnold A. Rogow Papers on James V. Forrestal; 1933-1993 (mostly 1940-1960), Public Policy Papers, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
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