Peltason, J. W. (Jack Walter), 1923-

Jack. W. Peltason was the second chancellor of the University of California, Irvine, serving from 1984 to 1992. A distinguished political scientist and constitutional scholar, Peltason was also one of UC Irvine's founding faculty.Peltason was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 29, 1923. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Missouri and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1947. His first academic position was at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he taught from 1947 to 1951. In 1951 he joined the faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he rose to the position of dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1960. It was during this time that Peltason co-authored his classic textbook Government by the People. Since its first publication in 1952, the book has been issued in numerous editions and is considered a fundamental text on American democracy for political science students. As a member of UC Irvine's founding faculty, he was appointed dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Science in 1963 when the campus was still in the planning phase. As dean, he had responsibility for approving academic plans for each division and recruiting faculty to a campus that had not yet been built. In 1964 he was named UC Irvine's second vice chancellor of academic affairs. In this position he played a leading role in guiding the creation of the university's original academic plan. In 1967 Peltason returned to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as chancellor, a position he held until 1977. He then became the chief spokesman for higher education as the president of the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C., from 1977 to 1984. Peltason returned to UC Irvine in 1984 to become the campus's second chancellor. Early on he established the UCI Medal to recognize the contributions of university and community members to the campus; the Medal has since been awarded to numerous distinguished individuals and is the campus's highest honor. During his eight-year term UC Irvine underwent unprecedented physical growth, increased funding for endowed chairs and distinguished professors, initiated community partnerships, and attracted major institutes, notably the UC Humanities Research Institute in 1987 and the National Academies of Sciences & Engineering in 1988. In 1992 Peltason was appointed president of the University of California during a major budgetary crisis. He was able to stabilize the UC budget through an agreement with Governor Pete Wilson. When he retired from the presidency in 1995, Peltason passed up deferred salary and pension funds and instead donated the $230,000 towards an endowment. As a result, the Jack and Suzanne Peltason Scholarship provides merit-based awards to help UC Irvine political science majors advance their educational careers. In 2007 an anonymous donor pledged more than $1 million to UC Irvine for the creation of the Jack W. Peltason Endowed Chair, which goes to a faculty member within the Center for the Study of Democracy. Following his retirement, Peltason was active in many community and professional organizations, even after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2002. As of 2009 Peltason could still be found having lunch at the University Club on the UC Irvine campus with his wife, Suzanne. The couple has three children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Historical Background

Jack. W. Peltason was the second chancellor of the University of California, Irvine, serving from 1984 to 1992. A distinguished political scientist and constitutional scholar, Peltason was also one of UC Irvine's founding faculty.

Peltason was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 29, 1923. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Missouri and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1947.

His first academic position was at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he taught from 1947 to 1951. In 1951 he joined the faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he rose to the position of dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1960.

It was during this time that Peltason co-authored his classic textbook Government by the People . Since its first publication in 1952, the book has been issued in numerous editions and is considered a fundamental text on American democracy for political science students.

As a member of UC Irvine's founding faculty, he was appointed dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Science in 1963 when the campus was still in the planning phase. As dean, he had responsibility for approving academic plans for each division and recruiting faculty to a campus that had not yet been built. In 1964 he was named UC Irvine's second vice chancellor of academic affairs. In this position he played a leading role in guiding the creation of the university's original academic plan.

In 1967 Peltason returned to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as chancellor, a position he held until 1977. He then became the chief spokesman for higher education as the president of the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C., from 1977 to 1984.

Peltason returned to UC Irvine in 1984 to become the campus's second chancellor. Early on he established the UCI Medal to recognize the contributions of university and community members to the campus; the Medal has since been awarded to numerous distinguished individuals and is the campus's highest honor.

During his eight-year term UC Irvine underwent unprecedented physical growth, increased funding for endowed chairs and distinguished professors, initiated community partnerships, and attracted major institutes, notably the UC Humanities Research Institute in 1987 and the National Academies of Sciences & Engineering in 1988.

In 1992 Peltason was appointed president of the University of California during a major budgetary crisis. He was able to stabilize the UC budget through an agreement with Governor Pete Wilson.

When he retired from the presidency in 1995, Peltason passed up deferred salary and pension funds and instead donated the $230,000 towards an endowment. As a result, the Jack and Suzanne Peltason Scholarship provides merit-based awards to help UC Irvine political science majors advance their educational careers. In 2007 an anonymous donor pledged more than $1 million to UC Irvine for the creation of the Jack W. Peltason Endowed Chair, which goes to a faculty member within the Center for the Study of Democracy.

Following his retirement, Peltason was active in many community and professional organizations, even after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2002. As of 2009 Peltason could still be found having lunch at the University Club on the UC Irvine campus with his wife, Suzanne. The couple has three children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Biographical/Historical note