Betty Glad Papers

University of South Carolina professor Betty Glad is remembered as a teacher, writer, political scientist, historian, researcher, and mentor. Her publications on political leaders Charles Evans Hughes, Key Pittman, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter gave her the reputation for being a top authority on American politics and leadership.

Glad was born September 27, 1927 in Utah, and graduated from the University of Utah magna cum laude with a B.S. in Political Science. Coincidentally, she received her wings from United Air Lines Stewardess Training School in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Phi Beta Kappa award on the same night in 1949. It was during her time as a stewardess that Glad, working on night flights, pursued her Ph.D. in Political Science. It is mentioned in economist Julian Simon's autobiography that it was Glad who inspired his idea for the volunteer incentive plan used on overbooked airlines. Glad received her doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1962 and taught at several universities, including Mount Holyoke College, Brooklyn College, Purdue University, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before coming to the University of South Carolina in 1989.

Although her first book, Charles Evans Hughes, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, Glad is more notably recognized for her work on Jimmy Carter. In her 1980 book, Jimmy Carter: In Search of the Great White House, Glad evaluates the Carter Administration by considering Carter's early political career, southern politics, and strategies used during his campaign. Glad revisited Carter in her 2009 book An Outsider in the White House, providing an in-depth study into Jimmy Carter's presidency while evaluating his success as a foreign policy president.

Glad's awards and honors include the Frank D. Goodnow Award from the American Political Science Association for a lifetime of contributions and service to the discipline, the Harold Lasswell Award from the International Society for Political Psychology for a lifetime of outstanding contributions to political psychology, and the Outstanding Professional Achievement Award from the Midwest Women's Caucus for Political Science. She served as President of the International Society for Political Psychology, President of the Presidency Research Section of the American Political Science Association, Vice-President of the American Political Science Association, and was the Olin D. Johnston Professor of Political Science and Distinguished Professor Emerita at the University of South Carolina.

Glad was among the first women to earn a Ph.D. in Political Science and subsequently teach at a Ph.D.-granting institution as well as was the first woman chair of the University of Illinois Department of Political Science. She is remembered as not only a leader but also a pioneer for women in the field of Political Science. She passed away August 2, 2010.