Everett Irwin Mendelsohn (October 28, 1931 – June 6, 2023) was an American

historian of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Meso ...

. He was

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of the History of Science at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, where he was a faculty member from 1960 until his retirement in 2007.

Early life and education

Everett Irwin Mendelsohn was born on October 28, 1931, in New York City. He grew up in the Bronx. His father worked for a candy importation company. His mother was a school secretary. In 1949, he graduated from

Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is an elite public high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is one of th ...

. He then studied biology and history at Antioch College, graduating with a BS in 1953. He then went to graduate school in biology at Harvard. In 1960, he received a PhD in the history of science.

Career

Mendelsohn was a co-founder of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

's Committee on Science, Arms Control, and National Security and of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

' Committee on International Security Studies. A self-described

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

, he was active in attempting to negotiate peace in the Middle East both as the chair of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' Committee on Middle East Studies and through his work with the

American Friends Service Committee The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Religious Society of Friends (''Quaker'') founded organization working for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world. AFSC was founded in 1917 as a combined effort by Am ...

. In 1968, he founded the ''

Journal of the History of Biology The ''Journal of the History of Biology'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering the history of biology as well as philosophical and social issues confronting biology. It is published by Springer Science+Business Media and the edito ...

'' and served as its

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

for 31 years thereafter. He was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1970. He received the Gregor Mendel Medal from the

Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences The Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (Czech: ''Československá akademie věd'', Slovak: ''Česko-slovenská akadémia vied'') was established in 1953 to be the scientific center for Czechoslovakia. It was succeeded by the Czech Academy of Science ...

in 1991 and the

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

Teaching Prize in 1996. In 1998, the

Harvard Graduate Council The Harvard Graduate Council (HGC) (formerly known as the "HGSG" efunct, and originally founded as the HGC is the centralized student government organization for the twelve graduate schools of Harvard University. Representing the interests of m ...

honored Mendelsohn's work mentoring students by establishing the Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award, which is given annually to academics who are judged to have gone above and beyond in mentoring

graduate student Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

s at Harvard. In 2007, when Mendelsohn announced his impending retirement, his Harvard colleague

Anne Harrington Anne Harrington (born 1960) is an American science historian and the Franklin L. Ford Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University. Her primary research area is the history of psychiatry, neuroscience, and cognitive science. Educati ...

described him as "one of the founders of the social history of science." In 2017, the ''Journal of the History of Biology'' established the Everett Mendelsohn Prize in his honor.

Personal life and death

In 1954, Mendelsohn married Mary Maule Leeds. Together they had three children. The marriage ended in divorce. In 1974, he married Mary B. Anderson, an economist and author. Mendelsohn died after a stroke in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, on June 6, 2023, at the age of 91.

References

External links

Faculty page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendelsohn, Everett 1931 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American historians Historians of science People from Yonkers, New York Antioch College alumni Harvard University alumni Harvard University faculty American pacifists Academic journal editors Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Brooklyn Technical High School alumni