Robert Coldwell Wood
Encyclopedia
Robert Coldwell Wood was an American
political scientist, administrator
, and professor of political science at MIT. He led the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the University of Massachusetts and the Boston Public Schools
, interrupting his studies during World War II
to served in the United States Army
. Wood saw action during the Battle of the Bulge
, won a Bronze Star, and rose to the rank of sergeant. After graduating from Princeton, Wood earned three degrees from Harvard: a master's in public administration
and a master's and a doctorate in government
.
Wood taught political science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
from 1959 to 1965. From 1965 to 1969 he served as undersecretary, and following the resignation of Robert Weaver, later Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the cabinet of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Here he was involved in implementing the Model Cities program in 1966 and the Fair Housing Act in 1968.
He returned to MIT to teach and to direct the Joint Center for Urban Studies at MIT and Harvard. At the same time, he led the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). From 1970 to 1977 he served as president of the University of Massachusetts
. While Wood served as president of the University of Massachusetts he led its expansion to include UMass Medical Center in Worcester and its Boston campus. He also played a key role in bringing the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum to its present site at Columbia Point, next to UMass-Boston. He also taught at Wesleyan University
.
In 1968 Wood was awarded the Wiener Medal for Cybernetics from the American Society for Cybernetics.
Wood leaves his wife, Margaret (Byers); a son, Frank of New York City; two daughters, Frances of Cambridge and Margaret Hassan of Exeter, N.H.; and two grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political scientist, administrator
Administration (government)
The term administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to jurisdiction.-United States:In United States usage, the term refers to the executive branch under a specific president , for example: the "Barack Obama administration." It can also mean an executive branch agency...
, and professor of political science at MIT. He led the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the University of Massachusetts and the Boston Public Schools
Biography
Wood was born in St Louis, Missouri, and won a scholarship to Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, interrupting his studies during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. Wood saw action during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, won a Bronze Star, and rose to the rank of sergeant. After graduating from Princeton, Wood earned three degrees from Harvard: a master's in public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
and a master's and a doctorate in government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
.
Wood taught political science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
from 1959 to 1965. From 1965 to 1969 he served as undersecretary, and following the resignation of Robert Weaver, later Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the cabinet of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Here he was involved in implementing the Model Cities program in 1966 and the Fair Housing Act in 1968.
He returned to MIT to teach and to direct the Joint Center for Urban Studies at MIT and Harvard. At the same time, he led the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). From 1970 to 1977 he served as president of the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
. While Wood served as president of the University of Massachusetts he led its expansion to include UMass Medical Center in Worcester and its Boston campus. He also played a key role in bringing the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum to its present site at Columbia Point, next to UMass-Boston. He also taught at Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
.
In 1968 Wood was awarded the Wiener Medal for Cybernetics from the American Society for Cybernetics.
Wood leaves his wife, Margaret (Byers); a son, Frank of New York City; two daughters, Frances of Cambridge and Margaret Hassan of Exeter, N.H.; and two grandchildren.
Work
Wood was an outstanding academic practitioner. He applied his research expertise to critical policy issues at the national and state levels and was a true builder of public higher education in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Though his major focus was on urban affairs and the design of cities, he also had a significant interest in the development of policies for science and technology and how those subjects affected American life.Publications
Wood's best-known books are:- 1958. Suburbia: Its People and Their Politics
- 1959. Metropolis against itself.
- 1961. 1400 governments; the political economy of the New York metropolitan region. With Vladimir V. Almendinger.
- 1972. The Necessary Majority: Middle America and the Urban Crisis
- 1993. Whatever Possessed the President? Academic Experts and Presidential Policy, 1960-88.
- 1995. Turnabout time : public higher education in the commonwealth. With Richard A. Hogarty and Aundrea E. Kelley.
External links
- Professor, HUD chief Robert Wood dies. MIT April 6, 2005.
- An Inventory of His Personal Papers In the John F. Kennedy Library.