C. Wright Mills
American sociologist who popularized the term 'New Left'.
Charles Wright Mills (August 28, 1916 – March 20, 1962) was an American sociologist who taught at Columbia University from 1946 until his death. His work appeared in both popular and academic outlets, and he is best known for books like *The Power Elite*, *White Collar: The American Middle Classes*, and *The Sociological Imagination*—the last of which the International Sociological Association ranked as the second most important sociology book of the 20th century in 1998. Mills believed intellectuals in the post–World War II era had a duty to engage publicly and politically, rather than remain detached observers. According to biographer Daniel Geary, Mills’s writings strongly influenced the New Left social movements of the 1960s. Mills also introduced the term “New Left” to the United States in a 1960 open letter titled “Letter to the New Left.”
Born in Waco, Texas, on August 28, 1916, Mills was the son of Charles Grover Mills, an insurance broker whose job kept the family moving, and Frances Ursula (Wright) Mills, a homemaker. His parents were middle-class, pious, and of Irish-English descent. As a child, Mills sang in the choir at Waco’s Catholic Church, but he later rejected Christianity and identified as an atheist. He attended Dallas Technical High School, where he focused on engineering, algebra, physics, and mechanical drawing, as his parents prepared him for a practical career in Texas’s industrializing economy.
After graduating high school in 1934, Mills enrolled at Texas A&M University under pressure from his father. He found the environment “suffocating” and left after one year. Transferring to the University of Texas at Austin, he studied anthropology, social psychology, sociology, and philosophy. The university was building strong graduate programs in both social and physical sciences, and Mills impressed his professors with his intellect. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in philosophy in 1939, and by then had already published in the *American Sociological Review* and *The American Journal of Sociology*. While at Texas, he met his first wife, Dorothy Helen Smith—called “Freya”—a fellow student pursuing a master’s in sociology. They married in 1937, and Freya worked as a staff member in the Women’s Residence Hall, supporting Mills while typing, copying, and editing much of his work, including his Ph.D. dissertation. At
- born
- August 28, 1916
- died
- March 20, 1962
- field
- Sociology
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- The Power Elite, White Collar, The Sociological Imagination, popularizing the term 'New Left' in the U.S.
Lore & Background
C. Wright Mills was born in Waco, Texas, on August 28, 1916, to a middle-class family of Irish-English background. His father was an insurance broker, and his mother was a homemaker. Mills developed an aversion to Christianity despite being a choirboy, and he later defined himself as an atheist. He attended Dallas Technical High School, focusing on engineering, algebra, physics, and mechanical drawing. He graduated in 1934 and, at his father's urging, attended Texas A&M University for one year before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied anthropology, social psychology, sociology, and philosophy. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's in philosophy in 1939, and by then had already been published in two leading sociology journals. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1942, with a dissertation on pragmatism.
Reader's Guide
Mills's writings had a particularly significant impact on New Left social movements of the 1960s era, according to biographer Daniel Geary. Mills popularized the term 'New Left' in the U.S. in a 1960 open letter titled 'Letter to the New Left'. His book The Sociological Imagination was named by the International Sociological Association in 1998 as the second most important sociological book of the 20th century. Mills was concerned with the responsibilities of intellectuals in post–World War II society and advocated public and political engagement over disinterested observation. He spent time in Cuba in August 1960, interviewing Cuban officials and civilians, including President Fidel Castro, for his text Listen, Yankee. Mills was a supporter of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. His life was characterized as tumultuous, with four marriages to three women and a combative professional style.
Did You Know?
- Mills was a choirboy in the Catholic Church of Waco but later defined himself as an atheist.
- He avoided the World War II draft by failing his physical due to high blood pressure.
- Mills spent 16 days in Cuba in August 1960, interviewing President Fidel Castro for his book Listen, Yankee.
- His book The Sociological Imagination was named the second most important sociological book of the 20th century by the International Sociological Association in 1998.
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