Walter B. Pitkin
American author and university professor From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American author and university professor From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walter Boughton Pitkin (February 6, 1878 – January 25, 1953) was an American author and university professor. He taught at Columbia University for 38 years, and he authored more than 30 books, including the 1932 best-selling book, Life Begins at Forty.
Walter B. Pitkin | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1878 Ypsilanti, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | January 25, 1953 Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of Michigan |
| Occupation(s) | Author, professor |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Gray Katherine B. Johnson |
Pitkin was born on February 6, 1878, in Ypsilanti, Michigan.[1][2] He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1900, and he attended the Hartford Seminary before studying in Europe at the Sorbonne University, Munich University and Berlin University.[1][2]
Pitkin and his wife Mary Gray had five sons: Richard G., John G., David B., Robert B., and Walter. The elder Pitkin later married Katherine B. Johnson. They resided in Los Altos, California.[1] Pitkin died on January 25, 1953, in Palo Alto, California, at age 74.[1][2]
Pitkin was a lecturer in philosophy and psychology at Columbia University (1905–09), and professor in the Columbia University School of Journalism (1912–43).[3]
Pitkin authored more than 30 books over the course of his career,[2] including Life Begins at Forty (New York, Whittlesey house, McGraw-Hill, 1932) and The Psychology of Happiness. His A Short Introduction to the History of Human Stupidity was translated into fifteen languages. Pitkin was a member of the New Realism school in philosophy, writing on its relation to biology.
Source: [4]
