James Allen Thurber (born May 29, 1943) is university distinguished professor of government and founder (1979) and former director (1979-2016) of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (american.edu/spa/ccps) and affiliate distinguished professor of public administration and policy at American University, Washington, D.C.

He is author or editor of numerous books and more than 90 articles and chapters on Congress, the U.S. presidency, interest groups and lobbying, and campaigns and elections.

During his tenure at American University, Thurber served as the principal investigator of a seven-year study of campaign conduct supported by a Pew Charitable Trusts grant and as principal investigator of a four-year study analyzing lobbying and ethics for the Committee for Economic Development, and is working on international lobbying and ethics reform with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

He is also a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and a member of the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Lobbying Law Reform.

Thurber was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in 1973-74 and is currently on its executive board.