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October 5, 2001
Arnold J. Heidenheimer, Ph.D., professor of political science in Arts & Sciences since 1967, died Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2001. He was 71 and lived in Clayton.
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A specialist in European politics, comparative public policy and political corruption, Heidenheimer continued to teach courses at the University until several weeks ago, when he was hospitalized for complications from a heart ailment.
Heidenheimer was an early leader in the field of comparative public policy and the field grew as a direct result of his work, said John Kautsky, Ph.D., emeritus professor of political science.
"He was a real pioneer in comparative public policy, in fields like education and medical care," said Kautsky, a colleague of Heidenheimer's for more than three decades. "He studied how they've been handled in different societies. He spent a good deal of time in Europe."
Heidenheimer also was respected for his work on the analysis of political corruption, a discipline he helped found, said Victor Le Vine, Ph.D., professor of political science. Le Vine noted that the second edition of Heidenheimer's edited collection, "Political Corruption," had just recently been published by Transaction Books, and that Heidenheimer's text on German politics was for a number of years the standard text in that field.
Born in Wurzburg, Germany, Heidenheimer came to Flushing, N.Y., as a child. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1950 from Cornell University and a master's degree in 1952 from American University. He served two years in the Army during the Korean War before earning a doctorate from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1957.
Before joining Washington University, he taught for three years at Wayne State University and seven years at the University of Florida. During his career, he frequently served as a visiting professor at leading European academic institutions, including the universities of Berlin, Bergen, Stockholm, London and Bielefeld.
Heidenheimer often traveled abroad to conduct research and attend conferences. In the 1960s, he was a consultant on President John F. Kennedy's Commission on Campaign Finance. In 1976, he co-authored a book on "Comparative Public Policy," which earned the Gladys Kammerer Award and just recently was reissued.
A memorial service will be held in St. Louis at a later date, most likely in late November or early December. For more information, contact the political science department at 935-5822.