James McKeen Cattell
James McKeen Cattell (May 25, 1860 – January 20, 1944) was the first professor of psychology in the United States, teaching at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He was a long-time editor and publisher of scientific journals and publications, including Science, and served on the board of trustees for Science Service, now known as Society for Science from 1921 to 1944.
James McKeen Cattell | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 25, 1860 Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 20, 1944 (aged 83) Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Lafayette College (BA, MA) University of Leipzig (PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Psychology, psychometrics |
| Institutions | University of Cambridge University of Pennsylvania Columbia University |
| Doctoral advisor | Wilhelm Wundt |
| Doctoral students | Walter Dearborn Harry L. Hollingworth Shepherd Ivory Franz Edward Thorndike Edward Kellog Strong Jr. John Dashiell |
| Spouse |
Josephine Owen (m. 1888) |
| Children | 7, including Psyche |
| Parent |
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At the beginning of Cattell's career, many scientists regarded psychology simply as a minor field of study, or as a pseudoscience which is a collection of beliefs or practices regarded as a scientific method when it is not such as phrenology. Cattell helped establish psychology as a legitimate science, worthy of study at the highest levels of the academy. At the time of his death, The New York Times credited him as "the dean of American science."
Cattell was uncompromisingly opposed to American involvement in World War I. His public opposition to the draft led to his dismissal from his position at Columbia University, which later led many American universities to establish academic tenure as a means of protecting unpopular beliefs.