William H. Riker

William Harrison Riker was an influential political scientist, who advanced the field of political science through his application of game theory and mathematics to the field. Riker was born September 22, 1920 in Des Moines, Iowa, and received his PhD at Harvard University in 1948. He took on a professorship at Lawrence University[?] in Appleton, Wisconsin (then Lawrence College), where he published The Theory of Political Coalitions. In 1962, he became the chair of the Political Science at the University of Rochester, where he remained chair until 1977, and remained active until his death on June 26, 1993.

See also: Duverger's law

External links:

• Biography of William Harrison Riker (http://www.nap.edu/html/biomems/wriker)