William Hamilton Sewell (November 27, 1909 – June 24, 2001) was a United States sociologist and the chancellor of the

University of Wisconsin–Madison 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 Stat ...

during the 1967–1968 school year. He is the father of William H. Sewell Jr.

Biography

Sewell was born on November 27, 1909, in Perrinton, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he received his BA in 1933 and his MA in 1934, both in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...

. He then attended the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

, where he received his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in sociology in 1939 with a dissertation supervised by F. Stuart Chapin. He briefly taught at Michigan State and

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

before he became a professor of sociology at the

University of Wisconsin 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, ...

in 1946, where he became the chancellor in 1967. Sewell was known for his research in the sociology of inequality, especially in schooling, as well as his empirical approach to sociology. Sewell became chancellor of the Madison campus in 1967, in the midst of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

and student

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

. After a tough year due to the protesting, in June 1968, he resigned as chancellor and returned to research and teaching. In 1971 Sewell served as president of the American Sociological Association. He was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1976 and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1979.

Personal life

Sewell was the father of William H. Sewell Jr., also a sociologist. Sewell, Sr. died in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, in 2001.

Selected works

References

External links

Chancellors and Presidents of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
People from Gratiot County, Michigan American sociologists Sociology educators Leaders of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Michigan State University alumni University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni Michigan State University faculty Oklahoma State University faculty Presidents of the American Sociological Association 1909 births 2001 deaths Members of the American Philosophical Society 20th-century American academics {{US-academic-administrator-stub