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© 2014 University of Chicago Library
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Mead, George Herbert. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Mead was born in South Hadley, Massachusetts, in 1863, the son of a clergyman, Hiram Mead. Seven years later, the family moved to Oberlin, Ohio, where his father took the chair in Homiletics at the Theological Seminary of Oberlin College. In 1879, George entered Oberlin where he met two students from Hawaii, Henry and Helen Castle. In 1891, Mead married Henry's sister Helen. A year later, their only child, Henry Castle Albert Mead, was born.
Mead taught from 1891 to 1894 at the University of Michigan, and at the University of Chicago from 1894 to the year of his death. A prominent American thinker, Mead is studied for his work in social psychology and social philosophy, systematic pragmatism, and the history of ideas, as well as for his relationship with his friend and contemporary, John Dewey.
Mead published many books and articles including; Philosophy of the Present (1932), Mind, Self and Society (1934), Movements of Thought in the Nineteenth Century (1936), and Philosophy of the Act (1938).
George Herbert Mead died in 1931.
The George Herbert Mead Papers contain correspondence, primarily with family members including Henry Northrup Castle, Helen Castle Mead, Henry Castle Mead, and Irene Tufts Mead. Other correspondents include John Dewey and Charles Morris. The collection also includes manuscripts of published journal articles and books, correspondence relating to publications, and student notes from Mead's courses.
The collection is comprised of four series: Series I: Biographical Materials; Series II: Correspondence; Series III: Course Materials; Series IV: Writings.