Mead, George Herbert (1863–1931)

Abstract

Despite starting out as a philosopher, George H. Mead evolved into one of the titans in sociology. Mead, who lived from 1863 to 1931, was reared in a white, Protestant, middle‐class family. Although not from a wealthy family, he did come from a culturally privileged background. His mother taught at prestigious New England preparatory schools and at Oberlin College. While later serving as president of Mount Holyoke College, she oversaw its transition from a female seminary to a prestigious women's college. His father, a former pastor, held a special chair in Oberlin College's theological seminary for more than a decade. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1883 with an AB degree, Mead worked as a secondary school teacher, tutor, and surveyor. Unable to find satisfying work, Mead enrolled in 1887 at Harvard University, where he was most influenced by the romantic idealist Josiah Royce. After earning his second AB degree in Philosophy at Harvard in 1888, he went to Germany to obtain his PhD – enrolling first at the University of Leipzig and later at the University of Berlin. Although Mead never finished his doctorate degree, he did study with several famous German scholars – Wilhelm Wundt, Herman Ebbinghaus, and Wilhelm Dilthey.