Background
Born into a Jewish family in New York City, United States., he was the son of Abraham Philip and Estelle Edith (Cohen) Frankel.
Born into a Jewish family in New York City, United States., he was the son of Abraham Philip and Estelle Edith (Cohen) Frankel.
Bachelor of Arts with honors in English and Philosophy, Columbia, 1937, Doctor of Philosophy, 1946. Student Cornell Univercity, 1937-1938. Doctor of Laws, Mercer University, 1968.
Doctor of Literature, Duke University, 1978.
Frankel then served in the United States. Navy from 1942-1946, becoming a lieutenant. Frankel wrote on value theory, social philosophy and philosophy of history. During the Johnson Administration he served as an Assistant Secretary of State in charge of education and culture (1965-1967), but resigned in protest of the Vietnam War.
In 1978 Frankel became the first president and founding director of the National Humanities Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
He held this role until his death in 1979. In recognition of his efforts, the National Endowment for the Humanities (National Endowment for Humanities) awarded the Charles Frankel Prize from 1989 to 1996 to individuals making "outstanding contributions to the public"s understanding of the humanities." A list of honorees can be found at the National Endowment for Humanities website.
In 1997 the prize was renamed The National Humanities Meda During an interview and Q&A session at Harvard-Westlake School on January 19, 2010, American business magnate Charlie Munger referred to Frankel in his discussion on the United States financial crisis of 2007-2008 and the philosophy of responsibility.
Munger explained that Frankel believed:
.. the system is responsible in proportion to the degree that the people who make the decisions bear the consequences.
So to Charlie Frankel, you don’t create a loan system where all the people who make the loans promptly dump them on somebody else through lies and twaddle, and they don’t bear the responsibility when the loans are good or bad. To Frankel, that is amoral, that is an irresponsible system.
(Book by Frankel, Charles)
Member faculty Columbia University, from 1939, professor philosophy, 1956-1970, Old Dominion professor philosophy public affairs, from 1970. Member of New York State Commision on Quality, Cost and Financing Education, 1969-1972. President board of trustees Rockland Country Day School, Congers, New York, 1959-1964.
Served to Lieutenant United States Naval Reserve, 1942-1946.
Fellow American Academy Arts and Sciences. Member American Philosophical Association, American Association of University Professors (Chairman of Commission professional ethics 1956-1959).
Club: Century Association (New York City).
Married Helen Beatrice Lehman, August 17, 1941. Children: Susan, Carl.