Franz Boas

See also Wikipedia's article about "Franz Boas".

Franz Boas was a professor of anthropology at Columbia in the early 20th century. Known as the "father of modern anthropology," his work led to the foundation of one of the first anthropology departments at the university, and influenced many later significant anthropologists, including Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead.

Anecdote

When the US entered World War I in 1917, University President Nicholas Murray Butler sent a questionnaire to each member of the faculty asking how he or she planned to assist the war effort. By way of reply, Boas drew a line through the question and simply scribbled: "Mind my own business."