Thaddeus Lincoln Bolton (July 27, 1865 – January 3, 1948) was an American

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

who was head of the Department of Psychology at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

for twenty years. In February 1947, about a year before his death, he set aside $61,000 in a

trust fund A trust is a legal relationship in which the holder of a right gives it to another person or entity who must keep and use it solely for another's benefit. In the Anglo-American common law, the party who entrusts the right is known as the "settl ...

to establish the Thaddeus L. Bolton Professorship at Temple.

Early life and education

Bolton was born on July 27, 1865, in

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, to William and Amelia Dortt Bolton. He attended Mount Morris Academy before enrolling at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

at the age of 21. He received his

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from the University of Michigan in 1889. He then worked in school administration for a year before enrolling in the psychology program at

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in the ...

, where his main mentor was

Edmund Sanford Edmund Clark Sanford (1859–1924) was an early American psychologist. He earned his PhD under the supervision of Granville Stanley Hall at Johns Hopkins University, and then moved with Hall to Clark University in 1888, where he became the profes ...

. He received his Ph.D. from Clark in 1895, with what has been identified as the first Ph.D. thesis on a

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

-related topic. This thesis also influenced

Philip C. Hayden Philip C. Hayden (1854–1925) was the primary force in organizing the Music Supervisors National Conference, later the Music Educators National Conference ( MENC). He was appointed the first supervisor of music in Quincy, Illinois in 1888. In 1900 ...

's subsequent musical teachings.

Career

In 1894, Bolton began his first academic position at the Worcester Normal School, where he remained for one year. In 1895, he joined the faculty of

San Jose State College San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

, where he also remained for a single year. He then held stints at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

and several universities in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. In 1899, he returned to the United States to become an instructor at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, where he became a professor in 1904. In the spring of 1908, he resigned from the University of Nebraska, and soon afterward joined the

Tempe Normal School The history of Arizona State University began March 12, 1885 with the founding of the establishment originally named the Territorial Normal School at Tempe. The school was founded after John Samuel Armstrong first introduced House Bill 164, “A ...

, where he founded and edited the '' Arizona Journal of Education''. In 1912, he joined the faculty of the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fal ...

as chair of psychology. He later joined the faculty of Temple University in the 1917–1918 school year, and was named the founding chairman of their Department of Psychology in 1924. He remained a professor at Temple until he retired in 1937, whereupon he became an emeritus professor there. In 1933, he was elected the first acting president of the Pennsylvania Association of Clinical Psychologists, now known as the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. He was a member of

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

and the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

, among other groups.

Work

Bolton's research included studies on

fatigue Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

, and

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

, among numerous other psychological topics. He was quoted in the media speculating on the reasons for the popularity of

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

s and the prevalence of

laughter Laughter is a pleasant physical reaction and emotion consisting usually of rhythmical, often audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system. It is a response to certain external or internal stimuli. Laughter ...

among non-human animals.

Death

Bolton died on January 3, 1948, at

Temple University Hospital Temple University Hospital (TUH) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is an academic medical center in the United States which is a part of the healthcare network Temple Health. It is the chief clinical training site for the Temple University School of M ...

. He was survived by his widow, Martha Louise Busse, as well as by a sister and a brother.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolton, Thaddeus Lincoln Temple University faculty 1865 births 1948 deaths 20th-century American psychologists People from Hancock County, Illinois University of Michigan alumni Clark University alumni San Jose State University faculty University of Washington faculty University of Nebraska faculty Arizona State University faculty Fellows of the American Psychological Association