William Herbert Sheldon

William Herbert Sheldon
Born	November 19, 1898 Warwick, Rhode Island
Died	September 17, 1977 Cambridge, Massachusetts
Occupation	Psychologist and Eugenicist

William Herbert Sheldon (November 19, 1898 – September 17, 1977) was an American psychologist and numismatist.

Biography

Born in Warwick, Rhode Island, in 1898,^[1] William Sheldon distinguished himself in two fields.

In psychology, he pioneered the use of anthropometry in the development of his somatotypology.^[2] In the 1940s, through the use of many photographs and measurements of nude figures (mainly Ivy League students), Sheldon classified people into three somatotypes—endomorphic,mesomorphic, and ectomorphic.

In numismatics, he authored Early American Cents and later revised that work within Penny Whimsy (these were the most significant works at the time to exhaustively catalog the varieties of early American large cents). The Sheldon variety list for Early American Cents is still in use today. He also developed the "Sheldon scale" that graded coins on a numeric basis from 1 to 70, which is still standard among American numismatists.^[3]

Sheldon died in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1977.^[4]

Publications

• Sheldon, William H. ♦ The Varieties of Human Physique (An Introduction to Constitutional Psychology) ♦ Harper & Brothers, 1940
• Sheldon, William H. ♦ The Varieties of Temperament (A Psychology of Constitutional Differences) Harper & Brothers, 1942
• Sheldon, William H. ♦ Atlas of Men ♦ Harper and Brothers, 1954
• Sheldon, William H. ♦ Early American Cents, 1793–1814 ♦ Harper & Brothers, 1949
• Sheldon, William H. ♦ Penny Whimsy ♦ Harper & Row, 1958

See also

• Ivy League nude posture photos
• Posture (psychology)

References

1. ^ Obituary, The Psychiatrist (reprinted from Nature).
2. ^ Obituary, The Psychiatrist (reprinted from Nature).
3. ^ Grading Coins
4. ^ "William H. Sheldon, 78. Correlated Physiques and Traits of Behavior. Headed Research Center.". New York Times. September 18, 1977. "Dr. William Herbert Sheldon, a psychologist and researcher in correlating human biology and physique with social behavior, died Friday of a heart ailment at his office at the Biological Humanics Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was 78 years old." 

Persondata
Name	Sheldon, William
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 19, 1898
Place of birth	Warwick, Rhode Island
Date of death	September 17, 1977
Place of death	Cambridge, Massachusetts