James N. Rosenau *57

James Rosenau, the retired University Professor of International Relations at George Washington University, died Sept. 9, 2011, after suffering a stroke. He was 86.

During World War II, Rosenau served in the OSS. He graduated from Bard College in 1948. While at Bard, Eleanor Roosevelt hired him to compile and edit FDR’s personal letters from the White House. In 1949, he earned a master’s degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins and in 1957 a Ph.D. in politics from Princeton.

Rosenau taught at Rutgers and Ohio State before joining the University of Southern California in 1973. He left in 1992 as professor emeritus, and became the university professor at GWU. He retired in 2009.

A noted scholar of international relations and pioneer in the study of globalization, Rosenau wrote and edited more than 40 books. In 2005, he was ranked by Foreign Policy magazine as among the 25 most influential academics in foreign affairs. Well-known as an author and researcher, he regarded himself as a teacher first.

Rosenau’s first wife, Norah McCarthy, died in 1974. He is survived by their daughter; his wife of 17 years, Dr. Hongying Wang *96; their two children; and a granddaughter.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.