Ralph Ketcham died on April 28, 2017. Ketcham was a longtime professor at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. There he held appointments in the departments of political science, history, public affairs, and American studies. He was one of the designers of a New York state high school curriculum on the subject of participation in government. He specialized in constitutional and political theory, especially as it emerged and evolved during the era of the first U.S. presidents. Among his many books were acclaimed biographies of Benjamin Franklin (1966) and James Madison (1971); From Colony to Country: The Revolution in American Thought, 1750–1820 (1974); Presidents above Party: The First American Presidency, 1789–1829 (1984); Framed for Posterity: The Enduring Philosophy of the Constitution (1993); and The Madisons at Montpelier: Reflections on the Founding Couple (2009).
Syracuse, NY
United States