Russell Hanson Obituary, Death – On November 8th, Russell L. Hanson, who had been a member of our department’s faculty for a number of years and who had formerly served as chair of the Department of Political Science, passed away. During the time that he spent at Indiana University, Russ served the institution in a variety of capacities, one of which was serving as the chair of the department for which he was responsible for a span of six years. After receiving his doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota in 1982, he went on to pursue a career as a professor at Indiana, where he remained until the year 2017,
when he took early retirement. His primary body of work focused on the intersection of political philosophy and American politics, with a particular emphasis on the historical development of liberalism, democracy, federalism, and social welfare policy in the United States. His research was published in numerous academic journals and edited collections. His findings were presented in a variety of articles that were published in academic journals and edited collections. His findings were presented in a variety of articles that were published in academic journals as well as edited volumes.
His work was cited in a number of other publications. Russ’s research consisted of both an investigation into the intellectual and political ties that connected social reformers active in the United States in the decades following the American Civil War and an examination of social reformers active in the United States during that same time period who were contemporaneous with people living in Victorian London. In addition to teaching a wide range of classes, Russ was also responsible for instructing students in contemporary political thought as well as American political thought.
His contributions to the academic world include co-editing the books Political Innovation and Conceptual Change (1989), Reconsidering the Democratic Public (1993), and Politics in the American States (1995). (1995). His book, which was published in 1985 and given the title The Democratic Imagination in America, was made available to the general public at that time (2003).