Distinguished University Professor Emeritus
Department of Political Science

Distinguished University Professor Emeritus Department of Political Science

In the nearly 200 years since the founding of the American nation, no scholar has contributed more to the understanding of its legislative branch, the U.S. Congress, than Richard F. Fenno, Jr.
Nelson W. Polsby and Eric Schickler
University of California, Berkeley
Dept. of Political Science

Rush Rhees Library (credit: University Communications) Rush Rhees Library (credit: University of Rochester Communications)

The Richard F. Fenno, Jr. Papers are maintained and made accessible at the University of Rochester River Campus Libraries Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation (RBSCP) at Rush Rhees Library.

A memorial to Professor Fenno’s life and contributions can be read here.

The Fenno Paradox

“We do, it appears, love our congressmen. On the other hand, it seems equally clear that we do not love our Congress.” — Richard F. Fenno, Jr, in a 1975 essay entitled If, as Ralph Nader Says, Congress Is ‘The Broken Branch,’ How Come We Love Our Congressmen So Much? For more on the now-famous “Fenno’s Paradox,” see Wikipedia, and Fenno’s landmark 1978 book Home Style: House Members in Their Districts, a study of eighteen representatives of Congress in their home districts.

Summer Fellowships

The Richard and Nancy Fenno Summer Fellowships are designed to support and encourage Rochester undergraduates to engage in activities that will stimulate their personal and intellectual growth and which will make them even more valuable members of the university community upon their return to campus. Click here to learn more about this and other Political Science Department internship programs.

Soak & Poke

“This is a kind of research — the study of people in their natural setting — that is not much written about by political scientists. Described … as ‘soaking and poking — or just hanging around,’ it is more formally known as field research, or qualitative research, or — our preference — participant observation.” — Richard F. Fenno, Jr., Notes on Method: Participant Observation, Appendix in Home Style: House Members in Their Districts. 1978. Reissued as part of the “Longman Classics in Political Science” series in 2003.

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