C. Wright Mills
American sociologist who popularized the term 'New Left'.
C. Wright Mills was an American sociologist who taught at Columbia University from 1946 until his death in 1962. He wrote extensively for both academic and popular audiences, and his best-known works include *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 work 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; his mother was a devout Episcopalian and his father a nominal Catholic, of Irish-English descent. As a child, Mills sang in the choir at the Catholic Church in Waco, 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 wanted him to prepare for a practical career in Texas’s industrializing economy.
After graduating from high school in 1934, Mills followed his father’s wishes and enrolled at Texas A&M University. He found the environment “suffocating” and left after one year. He then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied anthropology, social psychology, sociology, and philosophy. At that time, the university was building a strong graduate program 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. By then, he had already published in the two leading sociology journals: the *American Sociological Review* and *The American Journal of Sociology*.
While at Texas, Mills met his first wife, Dorothy Helen Smith, a fellow graduate student in sociology. They married in 1937. Dorothy, nicknamed “Freya,” worked as a staff member for the director of the Wom
- born
- August 28, 1916, Waco, Texas
- 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 Irish-English family. His father was an insurance broker and a nominal Catholic, while his mother was a devout Episcopalian homemaker. Mills attended Dallas Technical High School, focusing on engineering, algebra, physics, and mechanical drawing. He briefly attended Texas A&M University before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied anthropology, social psychology, sociology, and philosophy. He graduated with a bachelor's 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. Mills worked as a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park from
Reader's Guide
Mills's significance lies in his critique of power structures and his call for intellectuals to engage publicly. His book The Power Elite analyzed the concentration of power in American society, while White Collar examined the rise of the middle classes. The Sociological Imagination urged individuals to connect personal troubles with public issues, and was later named the second most important sociological book of the 20th century. Mills popularized the term 'New Left' in the United States through his 1960 open letter 'Letter to the New Left'. His biographer Daniel Geary notes that Mills's writings had a particularly significant impact on New Left social movements of the 1960s era. Mills also spent time in Cuba in 1960, interviewing officials and President Fidel Castro, and supported the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. His work continues to influence sociology and political thought.
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 1960, interviewing President Fidel Castro.
- 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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