Herbert McClosky, 89; His Research Shaped Political Science Field

Herbert McClosky, 89, a UC Berkeley political science professor emeritus who performed pioneering research into political beliefs, attitudes and ideologies, died Monday of pneumonia and complications of Parkinson’s disease in Oakland.

McClosky, who joined the UC Berkeley faculty in 1960 and taught there for almost three decades, was a major force in the work of the campus’ Survey Research Center and the establishment of “political behavior” as a graduate teaching field within the campus’ Charles and Louise Travers Department of Political Science.

“His work helped transform political science and was unique in seamlessly integrating important normative questions with rigorous empirical research in elegant prose,” said UC Berkeley political science professor Jack Citrin.

McClosky’s research included two major books, “Dimensions of Tolerance: What Americans Believe About Civil Liberties” (with Alida Brill, 1983), and “The American Ethos: Public Attitudes Toward Capitalism and Democracy” (with John Zaller, 1984). He also wrote numerous articles.

Born in Newark, N.J., McClosky worked his way through the then-private University of Newark (now Rutgers-Newark), studying economic history, political philosophy and comparative government. He earned his bachelor’s degree there and his doctorate at the University of Minnesota.

After an immensely productive two decades teaching at the University of Minnesota, McClosky moved to UC Berkeley. Upon his retirement in 1987, campus officials awarded him the Berkeley Citation for notable professional achievement and service to the university.