James Q. Wilson

American political scientist and public policy expert
Person human Q636710
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James Q. Wilson

Summary

James Q. Wilson is a human[1]. His place of birth was Denver[2]. He was born on May 27, 1931[3]. He passed away in Boston[4]. He died on March 2, 2012[5]. He worked as a political scientist[6], criminologist[7], and university teacher[8]. He ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (380 views/month, #7,217 of 1,000,298).[9]

Key Facts

  • Born in Denver[2], James Q. Wilson…
  • James Q. Wilson passed away in Boston[4].
  • James Q. Wilson was born on May 27, 1931[3].
  • James Q. Wilson died on March 2, 2012[5].
  • James Q. Wilson held citizenship in United States[10].
  • James Q. Wilson worked as a political scientist[6].
  • James Q. Wilson's professions included criminologist[7].
  • James Q. Wilson's professions included university teacher[8].
  • James Q. Wilson held the position of chairperson[11].
  • James Q. Wilson was employed by University of California, Los Angeles[12].
  • James Q. Wilson was employed by Harvard University[13].
  • James Q. Wilson's education included a stint at University of Redlands[14].
  • James Q. Wilson's education included a stint at University of Chicago[15].
  • James Q. Wilson's education included a stint at Jordan High School[16].
  • James Q. Wilson's doctoral advisor was Edward C. Banfield[17].
  • A notable work attributed to James Q. Wilson is Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It[18].
  • James Q. Wilson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom[19].
  • James Q. Wilson received the Francis Boyer Award[20].
  • James Q. Wilson received the Guggenheim Fellowship[21].
  • James Q. Wilson received the John Gaus Award[22].
  • James Q. Wilson was a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences[23].
  • James Q. Wilson was a member of American Philosophical Society[24].
  • James Q. Wilson is recorded as male[25].
  • James Q. Wilson's instance of is recorded as human[26].
  • James Q. Wilson supervised Alfred A. Marcus as a doctoral student[27].

Body

Origins and Family

James Q. Wilson was born in Denver[2]. He was born on May 27, 1931[3].

Education

Educated at University of Redlands[14], a university[28], in United States[29], founded in 1907[30], headquartered in Redlands[31]; University of Chicago[15], a private university[32], in United States[33], founded in 1890[34], headquartered in Chicago[35]; and Jordan High School[16], a high school[36], in United States[37], founded in 1933[38]. James Q. Wilson's doctoral advisor was Edward C. Banfield[17].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include political scientist[6], criminologist[7], and university teacher[8]. Employers include University of California, Los Angeles[12], a public research university[39], in United States[40], founded in 1919[41], headquartered in Los Angeles[42] and Harvard University[13], a private university[43], in United States[44], founded in 1636[45], headquartered in Cambridge[46]. James Q. Wilson held the position of chairperson[11]. Doctoral students include Alfred A. Marcus[27], a business theorist[47], b. 1950[48], of Switzerland[49], specialised in environmental policy[50] and John DiIulio[51], a political scientist[52], b. 1958[53], of United States[54], specialised in political science[55].

Works and Contributions

A notable work attributed to James Q. Wilson is Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It[18].

Recognition

Awards received include Presidential Medal of Freedom[19], an award[56], in United States[57], founded in 1963[58]; Francis Boyer Award[20], an award[59], in United States[60]; Guggenheim Fellowship[21], a fellowship grant[61], in United States[62], founded in 1925[63]; and John Gaus Award[22], an award[64], in United States[65], founded in 1986[66].

Death and Burial

James Q. Wilson died on March 2, 2012[5]. He died in Boston[4].

Why It Matters

James Q. Wilson ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (380 views/month, #7,217 of 1,000,298).[9] He has Wikipedia articles in 10 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[67] He is known by 9 alternative names across languages and contexts.[68]

He is credited with the discovery of broken windows theory[69], a sociological theory[70].

FAQs

Where was James Q. Wilson born?

Born in Denver[2], James Q. Wilson…

Where did James Q. Wilson die?

James Q. Wilson died in Boston[4].

What did James Q. Wilson do for work?

James Q. Wilson worked as political scientist[6], criminologist[7], and university teacher[8].

Where did James Q. Wilson go to school?

James Q. Wilson was educated at University of Redlands[14], University of Chicago[15], and Jordan High School[16].

What awards did James Q. Wilson receive?

Honors received include Presidential Medal of Freedom[19], Francis Boyer Award[20], Guggenheim Fellowship[21], and John Gaus Award[22].

What did James Q. Wilson discover?

James Q. Wilson is credited as discoverer of broken windows theory[69].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [25] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [10] . wikidata.org.
  5. [26] . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  6. [11] . apsanet.org. apsanet.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  7. [14] . publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu. publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  8. [15] . wikidata.org.
  9. [16] . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  10. [6] . wikidata.org.
  11. [7] . wikidata.org.
  12. [8] . wikidata.org.
  13. [12] . wikidata.org.
  14. [13] . wikidata.org.
  15. [19] . congress.gov. congress.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  16. [20] . aei.org. aei.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  17. [21] . wikidata.org.
  18. [22] . apsanet.org. apsanet.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  19. [17] . wikidata.org.
  20. [27] . wikidata.org.
  21. [51] . wikidata.org.
  22. [23] . wikidata.org.
  23. [24] . NNDB. wikidata.org.
  24. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  25. [5] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . latimesblogs.latimes.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  26. [18] . search.worldcat.org. search.worldcat.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [69] . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [46] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [57] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [59] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [61] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [62] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [63] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [64] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [65] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  30. [66] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  31. [47] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  32. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  33. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  34. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  35. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  36. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  37. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  38. [55] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  39. [70] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [9] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [67] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [68] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). James Q. Wilson. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/james-q-wilson
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 12d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-21 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation political scientist, criminologist, university teacher
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32119|batch #32119]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (32)"
  2. 25d ago · Bargioni · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Doctoral student Alfred A. Marcus, John DiIulio
    Languages spoken, written or signed English
    Occupation political scientist, criminologist, university teacher
    Educated at
    + 24 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30468|batch #30468]]: add P1810 to P5739 2/3"
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