Louis Brownlow (August 29, 1879 – September 27, 1963) was an American author, political scientist, and consultant in the area of public administration.

[1] [2] While chairing the Committee on Administrative Management, Brownlow called several of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's advisors men with "a passion for anonymity"—which later became a popular phrase.

[8] His father had been a soldier in the Confederate States Army, serving in the Tennessee, Missouri, and Arkansas area, and had been wounded in the hip by a minié ball.

[7][10] Louis was frequently ill as a child and educated at home[10] He was unable to attend college due to his family's poverty, but read books extensively.

[20] Brownlow became chairman of the Committee for Public Administration of the Social Science Research Council in 1933, where he worked to bridge the gap between academics and practitioners.

[27][24] Famously declaring "The President needs help,"[26][28][29][30][31] the Committee's report advocated a strong chief executive, including among its 37 recommendations significant expansion of the presidential staff, integration of managerial agencies into a single presidential office, expansion of the merit system, integration of all independent agencies into existing Cabinet departments, and modernization of federal accounting and financial practices.

[13] Although he left government service after the termination of the Committee, Brownlow continued to be an advisor to presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry S.

[20][35][37] Louis Brownlow died in Arlington, Virginia, in September 1963 after delivering a speech at the Army Navy Country Club.

[39] The award is given to a book published in the previous two years which has made an exceptional contribution to the study of governmental institutions or public administration problems.