Weltfish, Gene (1902–1980)
Weltfish, Gene (1902–1980)
American anthropologist. Born Regina Weltfish, Aug 7, 1902, in New York, NY; died Aug 2, 1980; dau. of Abraham and Eve Furman Weltfish; attended Hunter College; graduate of Barnard College, 1925; attended Columbia University; m. Alexander Lesser (div. 1940); children: Ann.
Studied with Franz Boas and became a dedicated Boasian anthropologist; performed linguistic field-work among Pawnee Indians (1928–30, 1935); organized exhibitions of Indian crafts in museums, including American Museum of Natural History, NY; began teaching in graduate anthropology department at Columbia University (1935); dedicated to racial equality, collaborated with Ruth Benedict on pamphlet "The Races of Man," which was used for US Army orientation but later labeled subversive; called to testify before McCarthy's Senate Internal Security Committee (1952–53) and questioned about participation in Women's International Democratic Federation and Congress of American Women (both deemed subversive); blacklisted, was notified her position at Columbia was terminated (early 1950s); published what became the standard ethnography on Pawnee culture, The Lost Universe (1965); taught at Fairleigh Dickinson University (becoming full professor in 1968), New School for Social Research, Manhattan School of Music, and Rutgers University; helped develop Gerontological Society of New Jersey and the Grey Panthers, NY.