Russell Muirhead

James Russell Muirhead Jr.^[2] (born December 28, 1965) is an American academic, politician, and author serving as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives for the Grafton 12th district. He assumed office on December 2, 2020. He is also the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics and the Chair of the Department of Government at Dartmouth College.

J. Russell Muirhead
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the Grafton 12th district
Incumbent
Assumed office December 2, 2020
Personal details
Born	James Russell Muirhead Jr. (1965-12-28) December 28, 1965 (age 59)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Toni Barry
Children	2
Residence(s)	Hanover, New Hampshire, U.S.[1]
Academic background
Education	Harvard University (AB, PhD) Balliol College, Oxford (BA)
Academic work
Discipline	Government Politics
Sub-discipline	American politics Conspiracy theories
Institutions	Williams College Harvard University University of Texas at Austin Dartmouth College

Early life and education

A native of Hanover, New Hampshire, Muirhead graduated from Manchester Central High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Harvard College. The recipient of a Rhodes Scholarship in 1987, Muirhead earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Balliol College, Oxford.^[3] He later received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in government from Harvard University.^[4]

Career

From 1996 to 1998, Muirhead was an assistant professor of political science at Williams College. From 1998 to 2006, he was an assistant and associate professor of government at Harvard University. From 2006 to 2009, he was an associate professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin. He has been the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics at Dartmouth College since 2009.^[5][6] Muirhead is a frequent seminar moderator for the Aspen Institute.^[7] Muirhead's research focuses on American politics, democracy,^[8] political parties in the United States, and the rise of conspiracy theories in United States politics.^[9] In 2019, he co-authored A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy with Nancy L. Rosenblum.^[10][11]

Muirhead was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in November 2020 and assumed office in December.^[12] He is a member of the House Election Law Committee.^[13]