AncientFaces Your browser does not support JavaScript!
Please enable JavaScript to view the entire contents of this page.

Margaret Mead 1901 - 1978

Margaret Mead was born on December 16, 1901 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania United States, and died at age 77 years old in 1978.

Margaret Mead

December 16, 1901

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States

1978

Female

Looking for another Margaret Mead?

Margaret Mead Margaret Mead (1901 - 1978)

ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM

This page exists for YOU
and everyone who remembers Margaret.

Share what you know,
even ask what you wish you knew.

Invite others to do the same,
but don't worry if you can't...

Someone, somewhere will find this page,
and we'll notify you when they do.

Margaret Mead's History: 1901 - 1978

Uncover new discoveries and connections today by sharing about people & moments from yesterday.

- Discover how AncientFaces works.

Introduction

Margaret Mead was an American cultural anthropologist who featured frequently as an author and speaker in the mass media during the 1960s and 1970s. She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard College in New York City and her MA and PhD degrees from Columbia University. Wikipedia Born: December 16, 1901, Philadelphia, PA Died: November 15, 1978, Hospital, New York, NY Spouse: Gregory Bateson (m. 1936–1950), Reo Fortune (m. 1928–1935), Luther Cressman (m. 1923–1928) Education: Columbia University (1929), Quotes Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.
12/16

1901

Birthday

December 16, 1901

Birthdate

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania United States

Birthplace

ADVERTISEMENT BY
Early Life & Education

Education: Columbia University (1929) PhD
Professional Career

Famous Anthropologist and Author
Personal Life & Family

Margaret Mead American anthropologist Margaret Mead, (born December 16, 1901, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.—died November 15, 1978, New York, New York), American anthropologist whose great fame owed as much to the force of her personality and her outspokenness as it did to the quality of her scientific work. Mead entered DePauw University in 1919 and transferred to Barnard College a year later. She graduated from Barnard in 1923 and entered the graduate school of Columbia University, where she studied with and was greatly influenced by anthropologists Franz Boas and Ruth Benedict (a lifelong friend). Mead received an M.A. in 1924 and a Ph.D. in 1929. In 1925, during the first of her many field trips to the South Seas, she gathered material for the first of her 23 books, Coming of Age in Samoa (1928; new ed., 2001), a perennial best seller and a characteristic example of her reliance on observation rather than statistics for data. The book clearly indicates her belief in cultural determinism, a position that caused some later 20th-century anthropologists to question both the accuracy of her observations and the soundness of her conclusions. Her other works included Growing Up in New Guinea (1930; new ed., 2001), Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies (1935; new ed., 2001), Balinese Character: A Photographic Analysis (1942, with Gregory Bateson, to whom she was married in 1936–51; reprinted 1962), Continuities in Cultural Evolution (1964; reissued 1999), and A Rap on Race (1971, with James Baldwin; reissued 1992).
1978

Death

1978

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

Unknown
Death location

ADVERTISEMENT BY
share

Memories

below

Join 2 others
who remember Margaret

Select options below to share special moments.

Ethnicity & Family History Nationality & Locations Baptism Religious Beliefs Military Service Gravesite & Burial Obituary Add Memory Add Photo

Share what you remember.
Ask what you wish to know.
Connect to discover more.
Advertisement
Did you know?

Margaret Mead lived 2 years longer than the average family member when died at the age of 76.

ADVERTISEMENT BY
Looking for more information?
share

Memories

below

11 Memories, Stories & Photos about Margaret

Amanda S. Stevenson

17.7k+ favorites

08/11/2020

Margaret Mead

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

Comments

Amanda S. Stevenson

17.7k+ favorites

08/11/2020

My pen pal Caroline Waddington told me her father Dr. Conrad Waddington, CBE was staying with Margaret mead who authored a book in my library. I called her home in Manhattan and she answered the phone. I love your book "Coming of Age in Samoa, and Mr. Waddington's daughter Caroline is my pen pal. May I speak with him?" Dr. Waddington had a short but friendly chat with me. That was sixty years ago and today I gave a tribute to Conrad Waddington and Margaret Mead.

Favorite