Summary |
|
| Creator: | Munger, Frank J. |
| Title: | Frank Munger Papers |
| Dates: | 1960-1966 |
| Size: | 1 box (.25 linear feet) |
| Abstract: | The Frank Munger Papers contain interviews made in connection with Governor William Averell Harriman's administration, as well as several of his published works. |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: |
University Archives, Special Collections Research Center Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Ave., Suite 600 Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center/university-archives |
Biography
Frank J. Munger was an American political scientist and professor at Syracuse University.
Munger was born on September 18, 1929, in Fort Worth, Texas to Guy Elmer Munger and Kathleen G. Munger. He attended Northwest University and received his bachelor degree in science in 1951. After graduation, Munger enrolled in the Master of Public Administration program at Harvard University. After three years of study Munger obtained his master's degree in 1953. Within that same year he entered Harvard University’s Ph.D. program in political science. He completed his studies at Harvard in 1955; however, he had not yet completed the formal defense of his dissertation, "The Struggle for Republican Leadership in Indiana, 1954."
In 1955, Munger was appointed to his first professional position as an instructor at Syracuse University. Upon the successful completion of his dissertation defense, and acquirement of his Ph.D., Munger was promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor in 1956. Munger married Rosemary Betty Huppert in 1957 and together they had a son, Daniel Allen Munger. By 1962, Munger's passion for teaching and scholarship in political science was acknowledged by the University when he was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor and given tenure. That same year on June 8, Munger was appointed Chairman of the Political Science Department of the Maxwell School of Public Administration. He served as an administrator until 1965 when he was promoted to the rank of Professor.
At the time of the promotion, Munger wanted to take on a larger teaching and research role. He resigned from his administrative duties for the 1965-1966 academic year in order to take a research sabbatical in Ireland. His research looked at the Republic of Ireland’s transition from civil war to a peaceful competitive party system during the 1920’s and 1930’s. He continued teaching at Syracuse University until 1970, when he resigned to take a position at the University of Florida. Three years later, Munger took a position as Director of the Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina, where he finished his academic career.
While Munger was at Syracuse he participated in numerous scholarly activities. In 1960, he conducted a study on the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County’s voting registration trends. During that same year he won a fellowship from Rutgers University Eagleton Institute of Politics and the New York University Citizenship Clearing House, which provided funding for a study observing the nominating process at the Democratic National Convention of 1960.
During 1961, Munger presented his most notable study on the Delaware River Basin known as The Delaware River Project. Taking two and a half years, the project was headed by Roscoe C. Martin and included Guthrie S. Birkhead, another political scientist, and Jesse V. Burkhead, an economist. The study was funded by the Water Research Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Munger’s efforts in the landmark study were nationally recognized through the creation of the Delaware River Basin Compact, which was a direct result of the study. President John F. Kennedy signed the bill into law, creating the Delaware River Basin Commission. The commission, the first multi-purpose, administrative-regulatory, federal-interstate compact agency, was designed to prevent floods, control the water supply, and regulate development within the Delaware River Basin.
In 1965, Munger presented his findings for his three year study on American opinion polls to the American Political Science Association. The study examined why Americans changed their positions on federal education aid to public and private elementary and secondary schools. Munger’s findings concluded that President Kennedy’s opposition to providing schools with federal aid actually changed public opinion to supporting it. Munger’s final study while at Syracuse during the years 1965 and 1966 was on the Republic of Ireland. He was awarded a grant by Syracuse University and the Rockefeller Foundation Program in Constitutional Democracy in order to conduct the study.
During Munger’s teaching career at Syracuse he spoke at numerous public events. During an education seminar Munger presented "Eight Weekends in Politics" (1963) for teachers in Genesee Valley, instructing them on America’s political history. He was a panel member for "Pressure Groups and Politics" (1963) on the University of Buffalo Round Table, which aired on television and radio. He was a speaker at "The Impact and Use of Race, Nationality, and Religion in Political Campaigns" (1963) during a conference on community living at the State University of Buffalo. He was also recruited to serve as a political analyst for ABC News’ radio and TV coverage of the 1966 gubernatorial and congressional elections. Many of Munger's public speaking events were excellent opportunities to showcase the outstanding quality of scholarship at the University.
Throughout Munger’s career at Syracuse he published an anthology and several journal articles: "The Struggle for Republican Leadership in Indiana, 1954" (1960); "Decisions in Syracuse: Metropolitan Action Studies No. 1" (1961); Readings in Political Parties and Pressure Groups (1964); "Factionalism in the National Conventions, 1940-1964: An Analysis of Ideological Consistency in State Delegation Voting" (1965); "Politics and Organizations in Water Resources Administration: A Comparative Study of Decisions" (1965); and "The Legitimacy of Opposition: The Change of Government in Ireland in 1932" (1966).
Scholarship and teaching were not the only things that Munger was passionate about. He was an avid member of his community and found ways to give back. In 1958, he was named Associate Director of Upstate New York Affiliate of the Citizenship Clearing House. That same year he became the Vice-Chairman for the Syracuse University United Fund Drive. In 1959, he became the Co-Chairman of the Syracuse University Fund Drive. Additionally in 1959, Munger ran unsuccessfully for Commissioner of Education for the City of Syracuse as a Democrat. In 1964, Munger was appointed to the Public Education Committee of the Democratic Advisory Council by Democratic Chairman William H. McKeon. While he lived in Syracuse he served as the Democratic Committeeman in the 10th District, Fourth Ward, for the City of Syracuse and was also the President of the Fourth Ward Democratic Club. In 1975, he was elected to the Council of the American Political Science Association and served until 1980. In 1977, he served on the Steering Committee of the Advising Council for the National Science Foundation until 1980.
Munger’s exceptional scholarship, community enrichment, and guidance helped Syracuse University grow and improve as an academic institution from 1955 until 1970. Frank J. Munger died April 18, 1981.
Scope and Content Note
The Frank Munger Papers contain materials dating from 1960 to 1966. The collection is comprised of five folders, including interviews and several reprints of his published journal articles. The interviews are related to New York State Governor William Averell Harriman's administration and were conducted by Frank Munger and his graduate assistants.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries and all relevant rights holders
before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this
collection.
Selected Search Terms
Names
Subjects
Types of material
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Frank Munger Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
There is no information pertaining to the Archives' acquisition of the collection.
Processing Information
Materials were placed in acid-free folders and box.
Finding Aid Information
Created by: Kyle C. Wilson
Date: 2007
Revision history: Processed and converted to EAD by Zachary Burnham, 2013.