Background
He was born at Painesville, Ohio, United States January 19, 1842.
He was born at Painesville, Ohio, United States January 19, 1842.
He was educated at Western Reserve University and Andover Theological Seminary.
He became professor of philosophy at Bowdoin College for two years, then at Yale University from 1881 until his retirement in 1905. He was a pioneer of the "new" psychology, developing a laboratory and advocating a functional viewpoint, with emphasis on biological and adaptive aspects of mental life. He wrote many books on philosophy, psychology, religion, education, and other subjects, including Elements of Physiological Psychology (1887; revised by R. S. Woodworth, 1911), Psychology, Descriptive and Explanatory (1894), and Philosophy of Mind (1895).
(Philosophy of Mind An Essay in the Metaphysics of Psychol...)
He served as a diplomatic adviser and helped the Cabinet under Prime Minister Hirofumi Ito (1841–1909) to promote mutual understanding between Japan and the United States.
He was a member of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He married on December 8, 1869 at Bridgeport, Belmont County, Ohio, Cornelia Ann Tallman. George and Cornelia were the parents of four children. He married second, on December 9, 1895, Frances Virginia Stevens. There were no children from the second marriage.