Robert Coldwell Wood

For other people of the same name, see Robert Wood (disambiguation).

Robert Coldwell Wood
2nd United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
In office January 7, 1969 – January 20, 1969
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Robert C. Weaver
Succeeded by	George W. Romney
Personal details
Born	(1923-09-16)September 16, 1923
Died	April 1, 2005(2005-04-01) (aged 81)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Margaret Byers
Children	Frank Frances Margaret
Alma mater	Princeton University Harvard University
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Sergeant
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Bronze Star

Robert Coldwell Wood (September 16, 1923 – April 1, 2005) was an American political scientist, administrator, and professor of political science at MIT. He led the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the University of Massachusetts and the Boston Public Schools

Biography

Wood was born in St Louis, Missouri, and won a scholarship to Princeton University, interrupting his studies during World War II to serve in the United States Army. Wood saw action during the Battle of the Bulge, won a Bronze Star, and rose to the rank of sergeant. After graduating from Princeton, Wood earned three degrees from Harvard: a master's in public administration and a master's and a doctorate in government.

Wood taught political science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1959 to 1965. From 1965 to 1969 he served as undersecretary, and following the resignation of Robert Weaver, later Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (for 13 days) in the cabinet of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Here he was involved in implementing the Model Cities program in 1966 and the Fair Housing Act in 1968.

He returned to MIT to teach and to direct the Joint Center for Urban Studies at MIT and Harvard. At the same time, he led the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). From 1970 to 1977 he served as president of the University of Massachusetts. While Wood served as president of the University of Massachusetts he led its expansion to include UMass Medical Center in Worcester and its Boston campus. He also played a key role in bringing the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum to its present site at Columbia Point, next to UMass-Boston. He also taught at Wesleyan University.

In 1968 Wood was awarded the Wiener Medal for Cybernetics from the American Society for Cybernetics.

Wood left a wife, Margaret (Byers); a son, Frank of New York City; two daughters, Frances of Cambridge and Margaret Hassan of Exeter, N.H.; and two grandchildren.

Work

Wood was an outstanding academic practitioner. He applied his research expertise to critical policy issues at the national and state levels and was a true builder of public higher education in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Though his major focus was on urban affairs and the design of cities, he also had a significant interest in the development of policies for science and technology and how those subjects affected American life.

Publications

Wood's best-known books are:

• 1958. Suburbia: Its People and Their Politics
• 1959. Metropolis against itself.
• 1961. 1400 governments; the political economy of the New York metropolitan region. With Vladimir V. Almendinger.
• 1972. The Necessary Majority: Middle America and the Urban Crisis
• 1993. Whatever Possessed the President? Academic Experts and Presidential Policy, 1960-88.
• 1995. Turnabout time : public higher education in the commonwealth. With Richard A. Hogarty and Aundrea E. Kelley.

External links

• Professor, HUD chief Robert Wood dies. MIT April 6, 2005.
• An Inventory of His Personal Papers In the John F. Kennedy Library.

Political offices
Preceded by Robert C. Weaver	United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 1969	Succeeded by George W. Romney