September 23, 2002

Harold Seidman, an internationally known expert on government management and reorganization, and professor emeritus of political science, died on Aug. 20 in Washington, D.C. He was 92.

Seidman taught at UConn from 1971 to 1984. He had been a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University's Center for the Study of American Government since 1987.

"He was a distinguished public servant and scholar on public policy and administration in the U.S., widely acknowledged both nationally and internationally," says Morton Tenzer, professor emeritus of political science.

"At UConn, he attracted graduate students from around the country and abroad, guiding several to their Ph.D.s."

Seidman, who lived in Washington, consulted for federal agencies, the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa, and countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa, specializing in the management of public enterprise.

The author of eight books, he is best known for Politics, Positions, and Power: The Dynamics of Federal Organization, published in 1970 by Oxford University Press.

The book, a public administration classic, explores how third parties such as state and local governments, non-profit corporations, and private institutions administer federal programs.

Seidman's career included 25 years with the U.S. Bureau of the Budget, now known as the Office of Management and Budget.

As a top bureaucrat, he helped implement the Marshall Plan

and the Alaska and Hawaii statehood acts, and in 1967 helped organize the Transportation Department. He worked closely with presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Seidman earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Brown University, and a Ph.D. in government from Yale. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from UConn in 1991.

In 2001, he received the Keeper of the Flame Award from the National Academy of Public Administration and the American Society of Public Administration for his contributions to public service after retirement.