Charles A. Ellwood

Charles Abram Ellwood (January 20, 1873 near Ogdensburg, New York – September 25, 1946) was an American sociologist who was professor of sociology at University of Missouri-Columbia and Duke University. He has been described as one of the leading American sociologists of the interwar period, studying intolerance, communication and revolutions and using many multidisciplinary methods.

He argued that sociology should play a role in directing cultural evolution through education of society. He pioneered social psychology research in sociology.

Early life

Ellwood was born to Gibson and Maria Walrath Ellwood on January 20, 1873, on the family farm close to Black Lake, New York. He studied at Cornell University from 1892 to 1896.

Academic career

After graduating from Cornell in 1896, he joined University of Chicago where graduated with a PhD in sociology and philosophy in 1899. His dissertation, "Some Prolegomena to Social Psychology", was published in the American Journal of Sociology. He studied at University of Berlin from 1897 to 1898.

For one year he was lecturer and instructor at the University of Nebraska and in 1900 became professor of sociology at the University of Missouri. He became also advisory editor of the American Journal of Sociology and associate editor of the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. In 1904 he served as president of the Missouri Confederated Charities. He was the fourteenth president of the American Sociological Association in 1924. He spent the first 30 years of his career and rose to national prominence at the University of Missouri-Columbia. From 1930 to 1946, Ellwood chaired the sociology department at Duke University. He authored the 1940 book, The World's Need of Christ, which argues that the teachings of Jesus has solutions to the major ills of humanity.