Clara Penniman

Clara Penniman (April 5, 1914—January 30, 2009) was an American political scientist. She was a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1953 until 1984, and from 1974 onwards she held the Oscar Rennebohm Chair for Public Administration. Penniman was also the founder and first director of the Center for the Study of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which later became the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs. Penniman was the first woman to be the chair of the department of political science at the University of Wisconsin, and the first woman to be elected president of the Midwest Political Science Association. She was a specialist in taxation and public finance, publishing several books and articles on these topics.

Clara Penniman
Born(1914-04-05)April 5, 1914
Steger, Illinois
DiedJanuary 30, 2009(2009-01-30) (aged 94)
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions

Education and early life

Penniman was born on April 5, 1914 in Steger, Illinois to Alethea B. Penniman and Rae E. Penniman.[1][2] She attended high school in Lancaster, Wisconsin.[1] After graduating from high school, she worked in a number of roles for the state government of Wisconsin, including the Wisconsin State Employment Service.[1] During World War II, Penniman worked for the War Manpower Commission.[1]

Penniman's work for the state of Wisconsin lasted for 10 years.[3] She then returned to school, receiving a BA and an MA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[1] In 1954 she graduated from the University of Minnesota with a PhD in political science.[1]

Career

Academic positions

Penniman joined the faculty of political science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1953.[1] At that time she was the only woman to be a member of the political science faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[1] From 1963 until 1966 she was the chair of that department, and was the first woman to hold that position.[1]

In 1965, Penniman became the Vice President of the Midwest Political Science Association.[4] She then became the President of the organization in 1966, and was the first woman to do so.[4] This was years before the same milestone would occur in other major professional associations in American political science like the American Political Science Association, although Penniman was also the Vice President of that organization in 1971–1972.[5][6] She was also a member of the University Committee at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the Merger Implementation Study Committee which made recommendations for restructuring the state university system.[1][7]

In 1968, Penniman founded the Center for the Study of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and served as its first director.[8][9] In 1983, the organization was renamed to the La Follette Institute of Public Affairs.[8][10]

Penniman served on several state commissions and in advocacy groups, including substantial involvement in the League of Women Voters at both the local and state level.[3][11][12]

Research

Penniman published several books and articles on the topics of taxation policy and public finance, especially in the state of Wisconsin. These include State income tax administration (1959), The politics of taxation (1976), and State income taxation (1980).[13][14][15][16] In 1974, Penniman was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Public Administration.[17]

Penniman retired and became a professor emerita in 1984.[18][19] However, she continued to publish well after her retirement; she was a co-author of the 1999 book Madison, An Administration History of Wisconsin's Capital City 1929-79.[3]

Impact

Penniman is the namesake for several awards and prizes. The Penniman Prize is awarded annually to a graduating student of the La Follette Institute of Public Affairs who wrote the most outstanding paper in public affairs.[18][8]

Penniman has been consistently described as one of the founding figures in the study of political science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and in the American midwest generally, as well as being an important mentor to generations of students.[3][9] The La Follette School has called Penniman a "nationally prominent scholar of taxation and public finance".[3]

Selected works
  • State income tax administration (1959)
  • The politics of taxation (1976)
  • State income taxation (1980)
  • Madison, An Administration History of Wisconsin's Capital City 1929-79, co-authored (1999)

Selected awards
  • Outstanding Achievement Award, University of Minnesota Alumni Association (1976)[20]
  • Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Wisconsin Alumni Association (1982)[21]
  • Fellow, National Academy of Public Administration[17]
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References
  1. Penniman, William (April 2009). "In memoriam: Clara Penniman". PS: Political Science & Politics. 42 (2): 420.
  2. Bart Barnes (15 April 1995). "Howard R. Penniman". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  3. "Services for Dr. Clara Penniman on Saturday". La Follette Institute of Public Affairs. 3 March 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  4. "Past MPSA Officers". Midwest Political Science Association. 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  5. "Association News". PS: Political Science & Politics. 5 (1): 19–38. 1972.
  6. Epstein, Leon D. (5 December 1989). "Interview with Clara Penniman, December 5, 1989". Kentucky Oral History Project. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  7. "Oral History Interview: Clara Penniman (200)". University of Wisconsin–Madison. 1981. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  8. "Clara Penniman Award for Wisconsin Government and Public Management". La Follette Institute of Public Affairs. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  9. "Century of political science marked at UW-Madison". University of Wisconsin–Madison. 1 March 2004. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  10. "Program Comparison Highlights". University of Toronto. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  11. "Madison League of Women Voters Dinner". Wisconsin Historical Society. 8 October 1959. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  12. Elizabeth Magnuson; Carol Palmer (15 May 2019). "Recollections of League In Honor of Our New Life Members" (PDF). League of Women Voters. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  13. Ira Sharkansky (1968). Spending in the American states. Rand McNally.
  14. Troiano, Ugo (December 2017). "Do taxes increase economic inequality? A comparative study based on the state personal income tax". NBER working paper series. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  15. Stein, Robert (June 1981). "Reviewed Work State Income Taxation. By Clara Penniman. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1980. Pp. xiii + 292. $22.50.)". American Political Science Review. 75 (2): 504–505. doi:10.2307/1961415.
  16. Burkhead, Jesse (September 1960). "Book Review Slate Income Tax Administration. By Clara Penniman and Walter W. Heller (Chicago: Public Administration Service, 1959, Pp. xiii, 280. $7.50)". American Political Science Review. 54 (3): 768–769. doi:10.1017/S000305540027932X.
  17. "UW Madison: Professor honored by academy". WisBusiness. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  18. "Penniman Prize Recipients". La Follette Institute of Public Affairs. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  19. United Press International (1 July 1986). "Wisconsin official hit on favoritism". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  20. "Recipients of the Outstanding Achievement Award". University of Minnesota Alumni Association. 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  21. "Past DAA Recipients". University of Wisconsin Alumni Association. 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
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