James Bennett Griffin
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James Bennett Griffin | |
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American | |
Alma mater | University of Chicago, (BA, 1927; MA 1930) University of Michigan (PhD 1936) |
Known for | Eastern North American prehistory |
Awards | Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1968 |
Scientific career | |
Fields | anthropology, archaeology |
Institutions | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor USA |
James Bennett Griffin or Jimmy Griffin (January 12, 1905 – May 31, 1997) was an American
Personal life
Born in
Education
Griffin attended and graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School where he became a champion swimmer, as well as cheer leader. He then enrolled into the University of Chicago in 1923 where he initially planned on studying Business Administration. After two years in the BA program, he transferred to the program of General Science. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in 1927. After graduating, Griffin took a brief break from school to work for Amoco, but later returned to the University of Chicago. In 1930, he graduated with a Master of Arts Degree in Sociology and Anthropology. In 1936 he was awarded a special Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Michigan, as the department there did not yet have a formal Ph.D. program.[2]
Professional career
Griffin accepted a
Griffin’s primary involvement in field activities shifted to a broader synthetic study and overview of archaeology itself. However, he still was involved with fieldwork. Between the years of 1963 and 1964, Griffin supervised an excavation at the Norton Mound group, a
Though Griffin is known as a superb field and technical research archaeologist, he was also a distinguished professor whose teaching abilities inspired many of his students throughout the years to become archaeologists as well. He helped train dozens of North American archaeologists, many of whom went on to prominence themselves. His legacy as a professor was that in the 1970s and 1980s, many of the major archaeological graduate programs in North America were staffed by Griffin’s students. Even now, most archaeologists who focus on
Throughout his career, Griffin was a regular participant at conferences and meetings of numerous professional organizations. His record of attendance was extraordinary at both the
Griffin retired from Michigan in 1976, but eight years later, he moved to Washington D.C. to become associated with the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution until he died in 1997.
Accomplishments and awards
Griffin received the
He served as the director of the Museum of Anthropology of Michigan from 1946-1975. He organized and managed the
Selected publications
- (1937) The Archaeological Remains of the Chiwere Sioux
- (1937) The Chronological Position and Ethnological Relationships of the Fort Ancient Aspect (American Antiquity, Vol. 2, No. 4)
- (1942) Adena Pottery
- (1942) On the Historic Location of the Tutelo and the Mohetan in the Ohio Valley
- (1945) An Interpretation of Siouan Archaeology in the Piedmont of North Carolina and Virginia
- (1945) The Box Elder Mound in la Salle County, Illinois
- (1953) Archeological Survey In the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, 1940-1947
- (1955) Chronology and Dating Process
- (1967) Eastern North American Archaeology: A Summary. Science...
- (1969) Identification of the Sources of Hopewellian Obsidian in the Middle West
- (1985) An Individual's Participation in American Archaeology, 1928-1985
- (1985) The Formation of the Society for American Archaeology
References
- Bentley Historic Library (University of Michigan) James B. Griffin
- Anthrosource: American Anthropologist: James B. Griffin 1905-97
- eMuseum @ Minnesota State University Mankato: James B. Griffin
- Society for American Archaeology: James Bennett Griffin
- "Anthropology and Archaeology." Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan. 2008. Bentley Historical Library. 8 Mar 2008
- Ford, Richard. "James Bennett Griffin." American Anthropologist Vol. 104, No. 202 DEC 2004 635-637. 08 MAR 2008.
- “James Bennett Griffin." eMuseum at Minnesota State University, Mankato. 2003. Students in an Introduction to Anthropology Class, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota 2003. 8 Mar 2008
- Williams, Stephen. "James B. Griffin (1905-1997)." Society for American Archaeology. SAA. 8 Mar 2008