Buehrig, Edward H. (Edward Henry), 1910-1986

Edward H. Buehrig, University Professor Emeritus of Political Science, taught at Indiana University, Bloomington, for 47 years. During this tenure, Buehrig took several leaves of absences to serve with the United Nations, teach at the American School in Beirut, and author numerous books concerning international politics.

Edward H. Buehrig was born in Minier, Illinois, on October 4, 1910, to Edward S. and Emma Kuhfuss Buehrig. He spent three years as an undergraduate student at Illinois State University before transferring to the University of Chicago, where he completed his Bachelor’s degree in 1932, M.A. in International Relations in 1934, and a Ph.D. in 1942.

In 1934, Buehrig came to Indiana University as an instructor in the Department of Government. He would remain at IU, aside from brief leaves of absence, for the rest of his professional life. He did not retire until 1981, with the title University Professor Emeritus of Political Science.

WWII drew him away from Bloomington to the Department of State and the United Nations. He stayed on there, working in the Division of Post-War Planning from 1944-1946. In 1945, he served as a technical expert assigned to the American delegation at the San Francisco Conference. He participated in the first session of the United Nations in London, and also served as the Secretary- General of the Italo-Yugoslav Boundary Commission.

Buehrig’s next hiatus from Bloomington came during the 1948-1949 academic year. He spent this time at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton working on a research project that eventually led to his book Woodrow Wilson and the Balance of Power . Almost a decade later, in 1957, he took another year off to serve as a visiting professor at the American University of Beirut. During the 1960s, he was honored with a Social Science Research Council award, which enabled him to study the problems involved in administering the United Nations relations with the Palestinian refugees. The study led to his next book, The United Nations and the Palestinian Refugees: A Study in Non-territorial Administration . During his career, Buehrig also wrote, edited, and contributed to a handful of other titles and articles, and continued to participate in scholarly discussions even after his retirement.

In addition to his work in research and teaching, Prof. Buehrig’s also undertook several significant administrative responsibilities at IU including leading the IU delegation for the Midwest Universities Consortium and serving as chairman of the Political Science Department for two separate terms. Professional associations he belonged to included the American Political Science Association, the American Society of International Law, Kappa Delta Pi, and Pi Kappa Delta.

Dr. Buehrig died in Bloomington in 1986. His colleagues and students remember him as an authority on Woodrow Wilson, a life long student of politics, and a citizen of the Indiana University academic community.