The Philip Converse collection is divided into ten series: Biography; Writings and Lectures; Correspondence; Teaching Materials; Study Materials; Conferences, Professional Associations and Committees; Administrative Files; Grant Proposals; Photographs; and Oral History. These divisions are designed to provide an overview of Philip Converse's career at the University of Michigan and document its three main components: scholar, professor, and administrator.
Philip Ernest Converse was born in Concord, New Hampshire, on November 17, 1928. He attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where he earned a B.A. in English in 1949. The following year he received a master's degree in English literature from the State University of Iowa. Six years later, after a period of study in France, he enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1956 to pursue his interest in the social sciences, and earned a M.A. in sociology in 1956, followed by a Ph.D. in social psychology in 1958. In 1951, he married Jean G. McDonnell, a social scientist expert in interviewing techniques.
Converse joined the University of Michigan faculty as an assistant professor of sociology in 1960, was appointed associate professor of political science in 1963, and associate professor of sociology in 1964. Quick to establish a reputation as an outstanding social psychologist and empirical political scientist, he was appointed professor of sociology and political science in 1965. He was named the Robert C. Angell Professor of Political Science and Sociology in 1975, and Robert Cooley Angell Distinguished University Professor of Political Science and Sociology in 1982. He was selected as the 1987 Henry Russel Lecturer, the University's highest honor given to a senior faculty member. The University of Michigan Research Club, when nominating Converse for the award, summarized his contributions by noting, "Professor Converse made many contributions to the development of the Michigan Program, which 25 years ago revolutionized political science research. The great innovation of this program was its heavy emphasis on quantitative methods applied to empirical research, in general, and to survey research, in particular. It was unique at that time, but subsequently became the model copied in numerous other departments in this country and in Europe. This 'movement' brought political science into much closer intellectual contact with sociology, social psychology and economics."
Converse was also well known for his work with the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR). Converse began his affiliation with the institute as assistant study director of the Survey Research Center in 1956, and by 1986 had been appointed director of the institute. While en route to the directorship he headed several of the institute's important components. In 1962 he was named associate director of the Inter-university Consortium for Political Research, a partnership between the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan and several other universities in the United States. He was named program director of the Survey Research Center in 1965, and director of the Center for Political Studies in 1982. When he assumed his duties as institute director, he did so at a crucial time when federal funds for social research were being slashed. The institute relies almost entirely on non-university grants and contracts to carry on its work, and he was instrumental in securing a number of new funding sources. He also strengthened the ties between the institute and the university by drawing on the research skills of university professors from various departments and schools.
Converse was the author of numerous books and articles on a wide range of political and sociological topics. Many of his works are considered standards in their fields. His book The American Voter (coauthored with Angus Campbell, Warren E. Miller and Donald E. Stokes) is considered a classic. It pioneered the use of new methods to describe voting behavior in the United States. Vietnam and the Silent Majority (coauthored with Milton Rosenberg and Sidney Verba) and The Human Meaning of Social Change (with Angus Campbell) were innovative works in group political behavior. The Quality of American Life (coauthored with Angus Campbell) studied Americans' sense of well-being. His work not only encompasses the United States but other nations as well, such as his award-winning Political Representation in France (coauthored with Roy Pierce). His articles appeared in a variety of well-known scholarly books and journals. Among his most influential articles are, "The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics," which had enormous influence on research in the field of political ideology, and "Of Time and Partisan Stability," which demonstrated the linkage between family socialization and individual partisan identification.
In addition to his research contributions, Converse made distinguished contributions as a statesman of the social sciences. He served on numerous committees of the many professional, public service, and honorary organizations in which he was active. These include The American Political Science Association, The American Sociological Association, The Social Science Research Council, and The National Research Council. He was president of the American Political Science Association in 1983-84 and of the International Society of Political Psychology in 1980-81.
Converse received many awards during his career. He received honorary doctorate degrees from Denison University and the University of Chicago, and was awarded numerous fellowships, including the Fulbright, Guggenheim, and Russell Sage. He was an elected member of such notable societies as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The American Philosophical Society, and the National Academy of Science.
Converse left the University of Michigan in 1989 to become director of the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) in Stanford, California. He was chosen from a field of some 150 candidates in a nationwide search for a new director. The independent research center is near the campus of Stanford University, and is considered one of the nation's most prestigious "think tanks."
Converse retired from the CASBS in 1994 and returned to the University of Michigan as a professor emeritus of sociology and political science. In the following years, he continued his work with the ISR and helped to establish the Philip Converse and Warren Miller Fellowship in American Political Behavior. He died at the age of 86 on December 30, 2014, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
