Walter B. Pitkin

Walter Boughton Pitkin (February 6, 1878 in Ypsilanti, Michigan – January 25, 1953 in Palo Alto, California) 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
BornFebruary 6, 1878
Ypsilanti, Michigan, U.S.
DiedJanuary 25, 1953
Palo Alto, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Michigan
OccupationAuthor, professor

Early life

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]

Career

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.

Personal life and death

Pitkin and his wife Mary Gray Pitkin had five sons: Richard G., John G., David B., Robert B., and Walter B Pitkin Jr. 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]

See also

References
  1. "Walter B. Pitkin Is Dead; Write 'Life Begins at 40'". Lansing State Journal. January 27, 1953. p. 24. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Walter Pitkin, Famed Writer, Dies in Palo Alto". Oakland Tribune. January 26, 1953. p. 4. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Entries in the Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers". Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
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