Professor Emeritus Theodore (Ted) Self Arrington, a renowned political scientist widely recognized for his expertise and who served in several leadership roles at UNC Charlotte, died Jan. 12.

Arrington joined the faculty of UNC Charlotte in 1973. His service to the University included chairing the Political Science Department for 19 years, acting as UNC Charlotte faculty president from 1983 to 1984 and co-chairing the University’s self-study for reaccreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) from 1990 to 1992.

After his retirement from UNC Charlotte in 2010, he continued writing and publishing in his areas of expertise. He was an expert witness in over 50 voting rights cases in the United States and Canada. Most recently, he was retained in voting rights litigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Voting Section and also the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. His testimony has been cited in several precedent setting cases such as Gingles v. Edmisten and United States v. Ike Brown et al.

His research – mainly on voting behavior, voting systems and redistricting – was published in many of the top journals in the discipline. He taught courses on methodology, voting behavior, Congress, the presidency and political parties.

Dean Nancy Gutierrez of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences recalled Arrington’s influence across the college. “As a new dean in 2005, I found Arrington to be a great resource in helping me understand the history of the college's development,” Gutierrez said. “The welcoming culture of the department was a real model of collegiality."

Arrington earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico and master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of Arizona in Tucson. He was drafted and served two years of active duty and four years in the reserve during the Vietnam War. He loved public speaking and was an avid reader, interested in many things, especially constitutional government and fairness in voting rights.

In addition to his scholarly publications, Arrington was an expert often quoted by news media outlets. “At The Charlotte Observer,” recently retired reporter Jim Morrill said, “Arrington was always our go-to guy for smart commentary on politics. So much did we rely on him that more than one editor put a moratorium on quotes from him. We usually ignored them. Arrington was more than quotable. He was kind and patient with reporters and their questions.”

Arrington was a lifelong member of the Christian Science church and was serving as board chairman at the Albuquerque branch church and engaged in its active prison ministry when he died. Arrington’s request was that there be no memorial service.