ABSTRACT
John M. Gaus was one of the fathers of public administration whose career included both the worlds of the practitioner as well as the academician. While very conversant with theory and both American and European theorists, his voice openly and clearly drew on the aspects of social, economic, and political change that was emerging from the American society. All of his work was illustrated by specific problems and responses to them, not simply to theories and academic literature. His work emphasized a number of themes: the reality of constant change, the importance of context, government structure matters, advice about research, and guidance from experience.
