Albert Poffenberger

Albert Poffenberger
Born
Albert Theodore Poffenberger

(1885-10-23)October 23, 1885
DiedDecember 24, 1977(1977-12-24) (aged 92)
Children2
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology
InstitutionsColumbia University[1]

Albert "Poff" Theodore Poffenberger (October 23, 1885 – December 24, 1977) was an American psychologist who served as president of the American Psychological Association.

Early life and education

Poffenberger was born on October 23, 1885, in Dauphin, Pennsylvania, the third of four children to Albert Theodore Sr. and Lillie J. Poffenberger. He graduated from Harrisburg High School, and attended Bucknell University. There, he received the Herbert Tustin Prize, as well as being an accomplished member of fraternities Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Psi, and played for the basketball team. He received an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in 1908, and attended Columbia University for his doctorate.[2] He later receiving an honorary Doctor of Science.[3]

Career and later life

After graduating, Poffenberger worked as a psychology lecturer for Columbia University.[3] During World War I, he and his former professor Harry L. Hollingworth developed psychological tests for soldiers.[4] In 1917, he married Flossie Kauffman, having 2 children together. In 1934 or 1935, he became president of the American Psychological Association,[5] later simultaneously serving as the president of the Social Science Research Council. He authored and edited many scientific papers and textbooks throughout his career. He retired as an emeritus in 1950, moving to a farm in Montrose, New York. He died on December 24, 1977, aged 92, in a nursing home in Livingston, New York.[6][4]

References

  1. ^ Wenzel, Bernice (1979). "Obituary: Albert Theodore Poffenberger (1885-1977)". American Psychologist. 34 (1): 88–90. doi:10.1037/h0078255. PMID 396834.
  2. ^ Vinchur, Andrew J. (2018-11-08). The Early Years of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-64981-0.
  3. ^ a b Schoenfeld, W. N. (1979). "Albert Theodore Poffenberger". American Journal of Psychology. 92 (1): 143–149. JSTOR 1421488.
  4. ^ a b "ALBERT POFFENBERGER, 92; PROFESSOR AT COLUMBIA". The New York Times. 1977-12-27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  5. ^ Koppes, Laura L., ed. (2014). Historical Perspectives in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Psychology Press. p. 276. ISBN 978-1317824480.
  6. ^ Schoenfeld, W. N. (1979). "Albert Theodore Poffenberger: 1885-1977". The American Journal of Psychology. 92 (1): 143–149. ISSN 0002-9556.