Philanthropic Leader, Scholar and Author
James Piereson is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Public Policy where he writes and lectures on philanthropy, higher education, and general political subjects.
Piereson was executive director and trustee of the John M. Olin Foundation from 1985 through 2005, at which time the Foundation spent its remaining funds and closed its doors in accordance with John Olin’s wishes. The Foundation supported individuals and institutions working to advance conservative ideals.
From 2006 to 2022, Piereson was president and trustee of the William E. Simon Foundation, a private grant-making foundation with interests in education and religion. The Simon Foundation closed in 2023, also on instructions from its donor.
Prior to joining the Olin Foundation, Piereson served on the political science faculties of several prominent universities, including Iowa State University, Indiana University, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Pennsylvania. He holds B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in political science from Michigan State University.
Piereson serves on the boards of several not-for-profit institutions, including the Thomas W. Smith Foundation, the Foundation for Cultural Review (The New Criterion), The Pinkerton Foundation, and Donors Trust. He is a past member of the Board of Trustees of the Manhattan Institute, The Hoover Institution at Stanford University, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, the American Spectator Foundation, and The Philanthropy Roundtable.
Piereson is a member of the Selection Committee for the Hayek Book Prize, awarded annually by the Manhattan Institute. He serves on the Grant Advisory Committee of the Searle Freedom Trust and is chairman of the Selection Committee for the Clare Boothe Luce Program on Women in Science and Engineering administered by the Henry Luce Foundation. He also serves on the publication committee of City Journal.
Piereson is the author of Shattered Consensus: The Rise and Decline of America’s Postwar Political Order (Encounter Books, 2015) and Camelot and the Cultural Revolution: How the Assassination of John F. Kennedy Shattered American Liberalism (Encounter Books, 2007). Other books include: The Inequality Hoax (2014); Why Redistribution Fails (2015); and The Growth Deficit (Encounter, 2022). He is the editor of The Pursuit of Liberty: Can the Ideals That Made America Great Provide a Model for the World (2008).
Piereson has published articles and reviews in numerous journals and newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Commentary, The New Criterion, The Washington Post, National Review, City Journal, and many others.
He and his wife, Patricia, have one son, William, a lawyer in Boston.