Anthropologist, born in Philadelphia, PA. She studied at Columbia University under Franz Boas, then carried out a number of field studies in the Pacific, writing both academic and populatioar books, such as Coming of Age in Samoa (1928). She held a position for many years at the American Museum of Natural History, but increasingly became a freelance media heavyweight, one of the most famous women of her generation, particularly well known for her views on educational and social issues.