E. Digby Baltzell
Encyclopedia
Edward Digby Baltzell was an American sociologist, academic and author.
to a wealthy Episcopalian family. "Digby" attended St. Paul's School
, an Episcopal boarding school in New Hampshire
. He attended the University of Pennsylvania
, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall
, and graduated in 1940. He served as a naval aviator
during World War II
, then earned his doctorate from Columbia University
. He became an eminent Penn
sociologist, and was credited with popularizing the acronym WASP
(White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
). His work shed new light on the ruling elite of America, changing public perceptions of American society and history.
Those who knew Baltzell describe him as a dapper figure in tweed jackets and bow ties, popular in a slightly aloof way, but always courteous and accessible. He could often be seen pedaling an old one-speed bicycle between his Delancey Place home near Rittenhouse Square
and Penn's West Philadelphia campus. Far more important to him than his personal preference for English
clothes and for the ethos and manners of the gentleman was his conviction that aristocracy
was necessary for the provision of leadership, both nationally and internationally. He felt that social stratification was inevitable, but that if the highest socio-economic levels were not accessible on the basis of merit (regardless of ethnic or racial background) society would degenerate into harmful caste-dictated divisions. His most productive years as an academic and social commentator corresponded to the actual relaxation of social barriers that took place in the late 1960s. It was apparent to students in his classes that he disdained the use of mathematical and statistical models as crutches to support sociological hypotheses. During the Vietnam War
he once asked a class of predominantly male students the odds of being shot if one were sent into combat in Southeast Asia. After dismissing a few statistical responses from students, he gave the answer. "Fifty-Fifty," he declared. "Either you will or you won't."
After serving on the faculty of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania
from 1947 to 1986, he retired in 1986. Until his death in 1996 Baltzell was Emeritus Professor of History and Sociology. He was elected an honorary member of the Philomathean Society, the University of Pennsylvania's literary and debating society founded in 1813. He served as a judge for the now-legendary Philo v. Whig-Clio [Princeton University] debate of 1984, donning a London barrister's white wig and helping to determine the victor [Philo] in the debate "Should there be a Hell?" which was featured on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and in the Congressional Record.
He was appointed to the Danforth Fellow at the Society for Religion in Higher Education of the Princeton Theological Seminary
from 1967 to 1968, Charles Warren Research Fellow at Harvard University from 1972 to 1973, and Guggenheim Fellow from 1978 to 1979. He was a member of the American Sociology Association, the American Studies Association, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1994.
Raised in the Chestnut Hill
section of Philadelphia, he had houses on Delancey Place in Philadelphia and in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.
An expert historian of Social Register
clubs, he was frequently asked to join many of them. He chose to be a member of only one, the Franklin Inn Club in Philadelphia, where he was a frequent luncheon guest during the last years of his life.
On August 17, 1996, while vacationing at his summer home, Baltzell was stricken with chest pains and hospitalized at Hyannis
, then moved to Boston
, where he died at Brigham and Women's Hospital at the age of 80. Baltzell's first wife, the artist Jane Piper, had died in 1991. He was survived by two daughters, Eve and Jan Baltzell, his second wife, Jocelyn Carlson Baltzell, and two stepdaughters Justina Carlton and Julie Carlson Groves. He was also survived by a brother, Dr. William Hewson Baltzell, IV, and a niece [Virginia Baltzell] and two nephews.
He dedicated one of his books to "all my undergraduate friends at the University of Pennsylvania, many of them grandsons of immigrants to the urban frontier, who, in spite of their possessing too many Jaguars and mink-coated mothers, have constantly been renewed by faith in the American Dream of unlimited opportunity".
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Life and career
Baltzell was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
to a wealthy Episcopalian family. "Digby" attended St. Paul's School
St. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)
St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...
, an Episcopal boarding school in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. He attended the University of Pennsylvania
Penn
-Places:England*Penn, Buckinghamshire*Penn, West MidlandsUnited States*Penn, North Dakota*Pennsylvania**Penn, Pennsylvania*Penn Lake Park, Pennsylvania*Penn Township , several municipalities-Education:...
, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall, also known as Saint Anthony Hall and The Order of St. Anthony, is a national college literary society also known as the Fraternity of Delta Psi at colleges in the United States of America. St...
, and graduated in 1940. He served as a naval aviator
Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, then earned his doctorate from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He became an eminent Penn
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
sociologist, and was credited with popularizing the acronym WASP
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP is an informal term, often derogatory or disparaging, for a closed group of high-status Americans mostly of British Protestant ancestry. The group supposedly wields disproportionate financial and social power. When it appears in writing, it is usually used to...
(White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP is an informal term, often derogatory or disparaging, for a closed group of high-status Americans mostly of British Protestant ancestry. The group supposedly wields disproportionate financial and social power. When it appears in writing, it is usually used to...
). His work shed new light on the ruling elite of America, changing public perceptions of American society and history.
Those who knew Baltzell describe him as a dapper figure in tweed jackets and bow ties, popular in a slightly aloof way, but always courteous and accessible. He could often be seen pedaling an old one-speed bicycle between his Delancey Place home near Rittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The park cuts off 19th Street at Walnut Street and also at a half block above Manning Street. Its boundaries are...
and Penn's West Philadelphia campus. Far more important to him than his personal preference for English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
clothes and for the ethos and manners of the gentleman was his conviction that aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
was necessary for the provision of leadership, both nationally and internationally. He felt that social stratification was inevitable, but that if the highest socio-economic levels were not accessible on the basis of merit (regardless of ethnic or racial background) society would degenerate into harmful caste-dictated divisions. His most productive years as an academic and social commentator corresponded to the actual relaxation of social barriers that took place in the late 1960s. It was apparent to students in his classes that he disdained the use of mathematical and statistical models as crutches to support sociological hypotheses. During the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
he once asked a class of predominantly male students the odds of being shot if one were sent into combat in Southeast Asia. After dismissing a few statistical responses from students, he gave the answer. "Fifty-Fifty," he declared. "Either you will or you won't."
After serving on the faculty of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania
Penn
-Places:England*Penn, Buckinghamshire*Penn, West MidlandsUnited States*Penn, North Dakota*Pennsylvania**Penn, Pennsylvania*Penn Lake Park, Pennsylvania*Penn Township , several municipalities-Education:...
from 1947 to 1986, he retired in 1986. Until his death in 1996 Baltzell was Emeritus Professor of History and Sociology. He was elected an honorary member of the Philomathean Society, the University of Pennsylvania's literary and debating society founded in 1813. He served as a judge for the now-legendary Philo v. Whig-Clio [Princeton University] debate of 1984, donning a London barrister's white wig and helping to determine the victor [Philo] in the debate "Should there be a Hell?" which was featured on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and in the Congressional Record.
He was appointed to the Danforth Fellow at the Society for Religion in Higher Education of the Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
from 1967 to 1968, Charles Warren Research Fellow at Harvard University from 1972 to 1973, and Guggenheim Fellow from 1978 to 1979. He was a member of the American Sociology Association, the American Studies Association, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historical society founded in 1824 and based in Philadelphia. The Society's building, designed by Addison Hutton and listed on Philadelphia's Register of Historical Places, houses some 600,000 printed items and over 19 million manuscript and graphic items...
. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1994.
Raised in the Chestnut Hill
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chestnut Hill is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Boundaries:Chestnut Hill is bounded as follows:...
section of Philadelphia, he had houses on Delancey Place in Philadelphia and in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.
An expert historian of Social Register
Social Register
Specific to the United States, the Social Register is a directory of names and addresses of prominent American families who form the social elite, . The "Directory" automatically includes the President of the United States and the First Family, and in the past always included the U.S. Senators and...
clubs, he was frequently asked to join many of them. He chose to be a member of only one, the Franklin Inn Club in Philadelphia, where he was a frequent luncheon guest during the last years of his life.
On August 17, 1996, while vacationing at his summer home, Baltzell was stricken with chest pains and hospitalized at Hyannis
Hyannis
Hyannis may refer to a location in the United States:* Hyannis, Massachusetts* Hyannisport, Massachusetts* Hyannis, Nebraska...
, then moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, where he died at Brigham and Women's Hospital at the age of 80. Baltzell's first wife, the artist Jane Piper, had died in 1991. He was survived by two daughters, Eve and Jan Baltzell, his second wife, Jocelyn Carlson Baltzell, and two stepdaughters Justina Carlton and Julie Carlson Groves. He was also survived by a brother, Dr. William Hewson Baltzell, IV, and a niece [Virginia Baltzell] and two nephews.
He dedicated one of his books to "all my undergraduate friends at the University of Pennsylvania, many of them grandsons of immigrants to the urban frontier, who, in spite of their possessing too many Jaguars and mink-coated mothers, have constantly been renewed by faith in the American Dream of unlimited opportunity".
Legacy
A group of devoted former students are currently working to raise funds for a carved stone gargoyle in Digby's likeness which will be added to the University of Pennsylvania's famed Quadrangle dormitory in preparation for a celebration of the centennial of Digby's birth in 2015.Published books
- Philadelphia Gentlemen: The Making of a National Upper Class (1958)
- American Business Aristocracy (1962)
- The Protestant Establishment: Aristocracy and Caste in America (1964)
- Puritan Boston and QuakerPhiladelphia: Two Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Class Authority and Leadership (1979)
- The Protestant Establishment Revisited (1991)
- Judgment and Sensibility: Religion and Stratification (1994)
- Sporting Gentlemen: Men's Tennis from the Age of Honor to the Cult of the Superstar (1995)
See also
- University of Pennsylvania
- Ivy LeagueIvy LeagueThe Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
- WASPWhite Anglo-Saxon ProtestantWhite Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP is an informal term, often derogatory or disparaging, for a closed group of high-status Americans mostly of British Protestant ancestry. The group supposedly wields disproportionate financial and social power. When it appears in writing, it is usually used to...