Matthew Holden Jr., longtime professor and scholar of political science, passed away on January 26. He was 93 years old.
Dr. Holden’s early career in academia included political science teaching positions with Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While teaching at these institutions in the 1960s and 1970s, Dr. Holden served intermittently in several public service positions. He spent two years on the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and four years on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under President Jimmy Carter.
In 1981, Dr. Holden began his tenure at the University of Virginia, where he stayed for the next two decades. He held the title of Henry L. and Grace M. Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs. After retiring from the position in 2002, he was later appointed as the Wepner Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois-Springfield.
As a scholar, Dr. Holden focused on political theory, public administration, and race and politics. He was the author of several influential publications, including The Politics of the Black “Nation” (Chandler Publications, 1973). A prominent leader in his field, he had a stint as president of the American Political Science Association from 1998 to 1999.
After graduating from what is now Roosevelt University in Chicago with his bachelor’s degree in political science, Dr. Holden served in the United States Army for two years. He later received his master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
