James David Barber (April 1, 1915 – January 22, 1978) was an American political scientist best known for his research on the personalities and decision‑making styles of United States presidents. He served as a professor of political science at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he directed the Center for Behavioral Research in the Social Sciences.
Early life and education
Barber was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1936 and completed his Ph.D. in political science at the University of Chicago in 1946. His doctoral dissertation focused on the behavioral analysis of political leadership.
Academic career
After completing his doctorate, Barber joined the faculty of the University of Maryland in 1947. He specialized in comparative politics, behavioral political science, and the study of political leadership. Barber was a prolific author and contributed regularly to scholarly journals such as American Political Science Review and The American Political Science Review.
Research on presidential character
Barber’s most influential work is The Presidential Character (1972), in which he developed a typology classifying presidents into four style categories: Active‑Positive, Active‑Negative, Passive‑Positive, and Passive‑Negative. The typology was derived from an extensive survey of presidential biographers, autobiographies, and contemporary accounts, and it sought to explain how personal traits influence presidential decision‑making and policy outcomes. The book remains a frequently cited source in both political science and historical scholarship on the American presidency.
Other publications
In addition to The Presidential Character, Barber authored several notable works, including:
- Political Leadership: A Study of the Presidential Style (1965) – an earlier examination of presidential behavior.
- The New Politics: The End of the Traditional Model (1975) – a collaborative volume exploring changes in American political institutions.
He also edited collections on comparative political behavior and contributed chapters to edited volumes on leadership and governance.
Legacy and influence
Barber’s behavioral approach to political leadership helped shape subsequent research on the impact of personality on political performance. His typology continues to be employed in graduate courses on the American presidency and cited in analyses of contemporary presidents.
Personal life and death
Barber married Margaret L. Barber, with whom he had two children. He died of a heart attack on January 22, 1978, in College Park, Maryland, at the age of 62. His papers are archived at the University of Maryland Libraries.
