Nelson, Michael: - Michael Nelson, the Fulmer Professor of Political Science at Rhodes College, is a Fellow of Southern Methodist University's Center for Presidential History and a Senior Fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. He is the author of numerous books, including, most recently, The American Presidency: Origins and Development, 17762011, with Sidney M. Milkis, and How the South Joined the Gambling Nation: The Politics of State Policy Innovation, with John L. Mason, winner of the 2009 V. O. Key Award for Outstanding Book on Southern Politics from the Southern Political Science Association.