Morgenthau, Ruth S.

Professor of international relations, Ruth Schachter Morgenthau (1931-2006) was best known for her expertise in African studies and world food issues. Born in Vienna, Austria, she fled with her family to New York City where she graduated from Barnard College in 1952. She studied in Paris as a Fulbright scholar and received her doctorate from Oxford University. Her thesis evolved into her best-known work, Political Parties in French-speaking West Africa, published in 1964.

Morgenthau joined the faculty at Brandeis University in 1963 where she formed the graduate program in international sustainable development, and was named Adlai Stevenson Professor of International Politics, retiring in 2003. A presidential advisor to John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Jimmy Carter, she helped focus attention on the development of Africa, and was the founder of the Liaison Committee for Food Corps Programmes International. She also served as part of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations (1977-1981) and was U.S. representative to the United Nations Social Development Commission. Morgenthau also served on the board of Pact, an organization dedicated to reducing poverty throughout the world.

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