Samuel P. Huntington Dies at Age 81

Political scientist Samuel P. Huntington died on December 24.

Samuel P. Huntington

Political scientist Samuel P. Huntington, Ph.D. ’51, the Weatherhead University Professor emeritus, died December 24, at age 81, on Martha's Vineyard. He retired from teaching in 2007, after 58 years of service at Harvard, according to the official University news release on his life and career.

Huntington was best known for his views on the importance of cultural identities and affiliations in shaping relations between and among states and nations--an argument popularly summarized by his vivid phrase, "the clash of civilizations," first spelled out in a 1993 journal article and then expanded upon in a internationally best-selling book published in 1996.

Related topics

You might also like

From Jellyfish to Digital Hearts

How Harvard researchers are helping to build a virtual model of the human heart

Harvard Football: Harvard 31, Columbia 14

The Crimson stay unbeaten with a workmanlike win over the Lions.

Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Faces a $350 Million Deficit

At a faculty meeting, Dean Hopi Hoekstra advocates for long-term, structural solutions.

Most popular

Harvard Divinity School Sets New Priorities

After two years of turmoil, Dean Marla Frederick describes a more pluralistic future for the institution’s culture and curriculum.

What Trump Means for John Roberts’s Legacy

Executive power is on the docket at the Supreme Court.

Yale Chief Will Lead Harvard Police Department

Anthony Campbell will take up his new post in January.

Explore More From Current Issue

People gather near the John Harvard Statue in front of University Hall surrounded by autumn trees.

A Changed Harvard Faces the Future

After a tense summer—and with no Trump settlement in sight—the University continues to adapt. 

A man in a gray suit sits confidently in a vintage armchair, holding a glass.

The Life of a Harvard Spy

Richard Skeffington Welch’s illustrious—and clandestine—career in the CIA

Wadsworth House with green shutters and red brick chimneys, surrounded by trees and other buildings.

Wadsworth House Nears 300

The building is a microcosm of Harvard’s history—and the history of the United States.