Lester Frank Ward

Lester Frank Ward
Lester Ward, age 43
Born
Lester Frank Ward

(1841-06-18)June 18, 1841
Joliet, Illinois, U.S.
DiedApril 18, 1913(1913-04-18) (aged 71)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma mater
Occupations
Employers
Known forPaleobotany, Telesis, sociology, and the introduction of sociology as field of higher education
Spouse(s)Elizabeth Carolyn Vought (Lizzie); Rosamond Asenath Simons
Parents
  • Justus Ward
  • Silence Rolph Ward

Lester Frank Ward (June 18, 1841 – April 18, 1913) was an American botanist, paleontologist, and sociologist.[1] The first president of the American Sociological Association, Ward has been characterized as a pioneering figure in American sociology.[2] His 1883 work Dynamic Sociology was influential in establishing sociology as a distinct field in the United States.[3] However, despite its initial impact his work was quickly sidelined during the institutionalization and development of American sociology.[4]

  1. ^ "WARD, Lester Frank". The International Who's Who in the World. 1912. p. 1067. Archived from the original on June 13, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  2. ^ Dealey, James Quayle (1925). "Masters of Social Science: Lester Frank Ward". Social Forces. 4 (2): 257–272. doi:10.2307/3004574. ISSN 0037-7732. JSTOR 3004574. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  3. ^ Small, Albion W. (1916). "Fifty Years of Sociology in the United States (1865–1915)". American Journal of Sociology. 21 (6): 749–758. doi:10.1086/212570. ISSN 0002-9602. JSTOR 2763629. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  4. ^ Lybeck, E. R. (2013). "Lester Ward and Patrick Geddes in early American and British sociology". History of the Human Sciences, 26(2), p. 52.