G. Calvin Mackenzie
G. Calvin Mackenzie is a prominent American political scientist and educator known for his extensive research on the U.S. presidency and governmental ethics. Born in Massachusetts, Mackenzie graduated from Bowdoin College and earned his PhD from Harvard University. He served in the Vietnam War with the U.S. Army and began his academic career at Colby College, where he holds the title of Goldfarb Family Distinguished Professor of Government. Throughout his career, Mackenzie has authored over fifteen books, including significant works such as "The Politics of Presidential Appointments" and "The Liberal Hour," the latter co-authored with historian Robert Weisbrot and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. His research critiques the evolving nature of presidential appointments and explores the dynamics of political change during the 1960s. Mackenzie has also held influential roles in various governmental commissions and as a consultant to congressional committees. In addition to his academic contributions, he has been active in professional associations and has lectured internationally, including a Fulbright position in Vietnam. Mackenzie's work continues to shape the discourse on governance and public policy in the United States.
Subject Terms
G. Calvin Mackenzie
Historian
- Born: April 27, 1945
Contribution: G. Calvin Mackenzie is an award-winning historian and author best known for his research on American governance and public policy. His book The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s (2008), written with Robert Weisbrot, was a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in history.
Background
One of two sons born to George H. and Mary Iris Mackenzie, G. Calvin Mackenzie grew up in Wakefield and South Byfield, Massachusetts, attending nearby Governor Dummer Academy. He graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, in 1967 and received his PhD in government from Harvard University. He would later serve as a trustee at Bowdoin from 1986 to 1998.
Mackenzie served with the US Army’s First Cavalry Division in the Vietnam War in 1970 and 1971. He began teaching at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, in 1978. Colby College granted him an endowed chair as the Goldfarb Family Distinguished Professor of Government. From 1985 through 1988, Mackenzie served as vice president for development and alumni relations at Colby.
Career
Throughout his career as a scholar, Mackenzie has been highly prolific in his research and publications, as well as in related advisory and consulting positions. He has published more than fifteen books and dozens of articles. One of his first books was The Politics of Presidential Appointments (1981), which examines the US presidential appointment process for several former presidents, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter, and Lyndon Johnson. In the book, Mackenzie finds that the process has grown more bloated and inefficient over time.
In the 1970s, Mackenzie testified before congressional committees and special commissions numerous times on matters of government ethics. He acted as a consultant and senior staff member for various commissions that studied the organization and actions of the US Congress. The House Commission on Administrative Review appointed him a senior research analyst, making him a principal author of studies of the administrative operations of the House of Representatives.
Due to his expertise in governance and public policy, Mackenzie has repeatedly acted as a consultant to US presidential personnel staffs and congressional committees. In the 1980s, he was project director for the Presidential Appointment Project of the National Academy of Public Administration. For the National Academy, Mackenzie was also the principal author of several publications, including both editions of The Presidential Appointee’s Handbook.
While Mackenzie was a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, from 2000 to 2003, he was a senior adviser to Brookings’s Presidential Appointee Initiative, which extensively studied and sought to reform the presidential appointment process. During this time, he edited Innocent until Nominated: The Breakdown of the Presidential Appointments Process and wrote Scandal Proof: Do Ethics Laws Make Government Ethical?, both published by Brookings Institution Press. He was also the senior adviser in 2002 for the National Commission on the Public Service, also known as the Second Volcker Commission. The commission concluded that the federal government was not staffed adequately to meet public demands in the twenty-first century.
Mackenzie’s most renowned book, The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s (2008), was coauthored with Robert Weisbrot, a historian and fellow professor at Colby College. The scholars argue in the book that during the turbulent era of the 1960s, the politicians who held seats of power in Washington, DC, were the most effective instruments of change. This is opposed to the popular belief that the decade’s burgeoning counterculture was responsible for driving pivotal changes in the areas of civil rights and social legislation. The Liberal Hour received high acclaim and was a finalist in history for the Pulitzer Prize in 2009.
In 2016 Mackenzie published The Imperiled Presidency: Leadership Challenges in the Twenty-First Century. In the book, Mackenzie evaluates the role of the executive branch compared with the legislative and judicial branches of the US government and makes the provocative argument that the presidency is too weak rather than too strong.
Mackenzie has held elected positions in many associations, boards, and commissions. In 1985 he was elected president of the New England Political Science Association. During the 1990s, he served on Maine’s Board of Arbitration and Conciliation and the state’s Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices.
Impact
Mackenzie’s studies have established him as a leading authority on the US presidency, presidential appointments, and governmental ethics. His research has led him to become a sought-after consultant for several political associations and committees. He continues to conduct research and teach government-related courses at Colby College. In 2012 he was invited to be a Fulbright lecturer at the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Personal Life
Mackenzie is married to Sarah V. Mackenzie. In 2010 they coauthored the book Now What? Confronting and Resolving Ethical Questions: A Handbook for Teachers.
Principal Works
The Politics of Presidential Appointments, 1981
The In-and-Outers: Presidential Appointees and Transient Government in Washington, 1987
The Irony of Reform: Roots of American Political Disenchantment, 1996
Innocent until Nominated: The Breakdown of the Presidential Appointment Process, 2001
Scandal Proof: Do Ethics Laws Make Government Ethical?, 2002
The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s (with Robert Weisbrot), 2008
The Imperiled Presidency: Leadership Challenges in the Twenty-First Century, 2016
Bibliography
“G. Calvin Mackenzie: Brief Biography.” Colby College. Colby College, n.d. Web. 24 July 2013.
Gewen, Barry. “The ’60s: Once upon an Optimistic Time.” Rev. of The Liberal Hour. New York Times. New York Times, 12 Aug. 2008. Web. 23 July 2013.
Mackenzie, G. Calvin. “Convention Season Begins.” VietNamNet. VietNamNet Bridge, 3 Sept. 2012. Web. 3 July 2013.
Mackenzie, G. Calvin, and Robert Weisbrot. “The Liberal Hour: An Interview with G. Calvin Mackenzie and Robert Weisbrot.” Interview by David Liebers. History News Network. George Mason U, n.d. Web. 24 July 2013.