LibGuides: Political Science / Public Policy Resources: Biography

Biography Reference Tools

American National Biography Online This link opens in a new window
The American National Biography offers portraits of more than 18,700 men and women -- from all eras and walks of life -- whose lives have shaped the nation.

Use: License agreement restricts access to one user at a time.
Biography & Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) This link opens in a new window
Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) indexes current, readily available reference sources, as well as the most important retrospective works that cover individuals, both living and deceased, from every field of activity and from all areas of the world.
Biography Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Containing many of the top-ranked biographical reference collections and magazines, this database offers a comprehensive collection of full-text biographies and unique narrative biographies.

A Dictionary of Political Biography
Compiled by an expert team of contributors, this dictionary covers all the major figures in world politics of the twentieth century. Authoritative and wide-ranging, it describes and assesses the lives of around 870 men and women who have shaped political events across the world.

Each entry includes an account of the background, career, and achievements of the individual concerned, balancing fact with critical appraisal.

Gale In Context: Biography This link opens in a new window
Biography In Context is built on a foundation of more than 650,000 biographical entries covering international figures from all time periods and areas of study. Providing coverage of the most searched and studied people, Biography In Context includes over 4,500 portal pages on contemporary and historical figures. It offers authoritative reference content alongside videos, audio selections, images, primary sources, and magazine and journal articles from hundreds of major periodicals and newspapers. This resource is continuously updated to ensure users have access to the very latest information.

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774 to Present
Provides biographies of members of the U.S. Congress and the Continental Congress since 1774.
U.S. Ambassadors
List of current and historic ambassadors.
Founding Fathers: Delegates to the Constitutional Convention
The National Archives and Records Administration presents biographies and portraits of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787.
Insider's Guide to Policy Experts and Organizations
A directory for locating knowledgeable authorities and leading policy institutes actively involved in a broad range of public policy issues, both domestic and foreign.
National First Ladies' Library
A repository of scholarly research and information about the First Ladies of the USA
Political Graveyard
"The Web Site that Tells Where the Dead Politicians are Buried."
Rulers
This site contains lists of heads of state and heads of government (and, in certain cases, de facto leaders not occupying either of those formal positions) of all countries and territories, going back to about 1700 in most cases.

American Presidents, Third Edition by Robert P. Watson (Editor); Richard Yon (Editor); Tracy Irons-Georges (Editorial Coordinator); Christina J. Moose (Editorial Coordinator); Dawn P. Dawson (Editor-In-Chief); Salem Press Editors
Call Number: MSU Remote Storage E176.1 .A6563 2006
ISBN: 9781587652707
Publication Date: 2006-03-01
"American Presidents" examines the strengths and weaknesses, the successes and failures of each Chief Executive.
American Statesmen by Edward S. Mihalkanin
ISBN: 0313308284
Publication Date: 2004-08-30
Arranged A-to-Z, each essay is multifaceted, offering information personal, professional, and political. The majority of each piece deals with foreign policy ideas before he or she became the Secretary, what American foreign policy was like while in office, and the major foreign policy issues during tenure. Each piece concludes with a concise and useful bibliography.
Encyclopedia of the United States Cabinet by Mark Grossman (Editor)
Call Number: MSU Remote Storage E176 .G89 2010
ISBN: 9781592375622
Publication Date: 2010-03-01
This authoritative, multi-volume work showcases the cabinets of all 44 presidential administrations, from George Washington to Barack Obama.