Robert Coldwell Wood

For other people with 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 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Died	April 1, 2005(2005-04-01) (aged 81) Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Margaret Byers Wood
Children	Frank Randolph Wood Frances Wood Margaret Wood "Maggie" Hassan
Parent(s)	Thomas Frank Wood Mary Bradshaw Wood
Residence(s)	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Alma mater	Princeton University Harvard University
Profession	Politician
Awards	Bronze Star
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Rank	Sergeant
Battles/wars	World War II

Robert Coldwell Wood (September 16, 1923 – April 1, 2005) was an American political scientist, academic and government administrator, and professor of political science at MIT. From 1965 to 1969, Wood served as the Under Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Lyndon B. Johnson, and for two weeks as acting secretary of the department.

After his return to MIT, he directed the Joint Center for Urban Studies at MIT and Harvard. He also had a joint appointment as head of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. He served as president of the University of Massachusetts (1970-1977), overseeing expansion of programs, including construction of a campus in south Boston.

Early life and career

Wood was born on September 16, 1923 in St Louis, Missouri, the son of Mary (née Bradshaw) Wood and Thomas Frank Wood. He won a scholarship to Princeton University, interrupting his studies during World War II to serve in the U.S. Army. Wood saw action during Battle of the Bulge, won a Bronze Star, and rose to the rank of sergeant.

After graduating from Princeton University, 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, Wood served as the Under Secretary of the newly created Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Lyndon B. Johnson.

In 1968, Wood was awarded the Wiener Medal for Cybernetics from the American Society for Cybernetics. Following the resignation of Robert C. Weaver as Secretary of HUD, Wood served briefly in the position for two weeks before George Romney took office.

Wood returned to MIT, where he directed the Joint Center for Urban Studies at MIT and Harvard. At the same time, he was appointed as head of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

From 1970 to 1977 he served as president of the University of Massachusetts. During these years, Wood led the expansion of the university, 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 site at Columbia Point, next to UMass-Boston. He also taught at Wesleyan University.

Personal life

Wood married the former Margaret Byers, on March 22, 1952. They had three children, one of whom is the actor Frank Wood. Wood died from stomach cancer at his home in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 1, 2005.

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.