CCP was saddened to hear this morning of the passing of Herbert Alexander. He was 80 years old.
We were honored in 2006 when Herb, the grand old man of campaign finance studies, became a charter member of the CCP Board of Academic Advisors. Herb’s standards for integrity and non-partisanship exemplify our goals.
Herb began his work in the field 50 years ago, working with another legend in the field, Alexander Heard. Back in the days before computerized database and public disclosure statutes, Herb undertook the very difficult task of studying money in politics, eventually producing over 20 books and countless articles on the subject. Early on, Herb had an affinity for many types of regulatory proposals, but over the years experience made him increasingly skeptical of "reform" efforts. He believed that a well-informed citizenry, rather than efforts to curb or supress political spending, was the best way to approach the issue.
Herb Alexander founded the Citizens’ Research Foundation in 1958 and served as its Director through his retirement in 1998. At the time of his death was Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Southern California. He also served as chairman of the International Political Science Association’s Research Committee on Political Finance and Political Corruption for 20 years, and previously taught at Princeton.
Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 6, at Danzansky-Goldberg Memorial Chapel, Rockville, Maryland. Interment will follow at Judean Memorial Gardens, Olney, Maryland.
Almost everyone who has worked in the field before 2000 had some contact with Herb, many as graduate students and assistants. All of us who study and work in the field of campaign finance owe a debt of gratitude to Herb Alexander. R.I.P.
