Malcolm Moos | |
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President of the University of Minnesota |
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In office 1967–1974 |
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Preceded by | O. Meredith Wilson |
Succeeded by | C. Peter Magrath |
Personal details | |
Born |
Saint Paul, Minnesota |
April 19, 1916
Died | January 28, 1982 Ten Mile Lake, Minnesota |
(aged 65)
Malcolm Charles Moos (April 19, 1916 – January 28, 1982) was an American political scientist.
He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from the University of Minnesota. He went on to receive his doctorate, also in political science, from the University of California at Berkeley. After receiving his Ph.D. Moos taught for several years at Johns Hopkins University and was employed by the Baltimore Evening Sun as an associate editor.
His writing on American politics brought him to the attention of Sherman Adams, who was the assistant to President Dwight Eisenhower. Moos joined Eisenhower's staff as a special assistant in 1957 and became his chief speech writer in 1958. Among the many speeches Moos wrote for President Eisenhower, he is credited with Eisenhower's valedictory speech which warned of the influence of the military-industrial complex. Following his work for Eisenhower's administration, Moos went on to write speeches for Nelson Rockefeller and worked for the Ford Foundation.
In 1967, Moos became the first native Minnesotan and alumnus to serve as a University of Minnesota president. Moos' term as university president (1967–1974) is one of the most socially and economically turbulent of its history. Civil rights and anti-war protests were at their height during this time. Moos supported activism; during his speech to the student body in 1967, he courageously acknowledged this support, but urged students to express themselves responsibly. He is credited for his diplomatic handling of student demonstrations including the Morrill Hall takeover on Jan 14, 1969. His diplomacy and rapport with both students and community is also credited for leading the university through this period of unrest with only one major protest in May 1970.