John Dewey was born on the 20th October 1859, in Burlington, Vermont USA, and was a philosopher, educational reformer and psychologist, whose life and works changed the lives of many. He is now considered one of the fathers of functional psychology. He passed away in 1952.
Have you ever wondered how rich John Dewey was, at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Dewey’s wealth was as high as $77 million, accumulated during his multi-faceted career spanning seven decades.
John Dewey Net Worth $77 Million
Born to Archibald Sprague Dewey and Lucina Artemisia Rich Dewey, he had three brothers, one of whom tragically died forty days before John’s birthdate. After matriculating, John enrolled at the University of Vermont, and following his graduation, continued his education by enrolling at Johns Hopkins University. He completed a PhD in philosophy from the college in 1884, under the guidance of George Sylvester Morris.
His first job was as a high-school teacher in Oil City, Pennsylvania in the early 1880s, and after finishing his education, John found a place at the University of Michigan, working in two stints, firstly from 1884 until 1888, and from 1989 until 1994, which significantly increased his net worth.
In 1894 he joined the new University of Chicago, where he remained until 1904, during which time he his belief was developed in what became known as Rational Empiricism, and became acknowledged for his Pragmatic philosophy. His time at the University of Chicago was rather fruitful, as he created four essays which were later combined into a book “Thought and its Subject-Matter”. He also established the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, which helped him practice his pedagogical beliefs, and contributed material for his later book “The School and Society”, published in 1899. Unfortunately, he found obstacles to his work in the way of the administration of the University, and as a result he resigned from his post and moved to the East Coast, finding a place at Columbia University, where he worked as a professor of philosophy until his retirement in 1930.
Aside from his work for educational institutions, he started The New School, alongside Thorstein Veblen, an economist, James Harvey Robinson and Charles A. Beard. During his life and career, John wrote forty books, including “Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education” (1916), “Human Nature and Conduct: An Introduction to Social Psychology” (1922), and “Art and Experience” (1934), among others, the sales of which only increased his net worth.
He traveled extensively, including to Japan, China and Africa, where he gave numerous lectures, which contributed to his popularity, and wealth as well.
Thanks to his successful work, he received several prestigious awards, including Doctor honoris causa from several universities, including Oslo in 1946, then Pennsylvania the same year, and from Yale and Rome in 1951.
Regarding his personal life, John was married to Roberta Lowitz Grant from 1946 until the time of his death. Previously, he was married to Alice Chipman from 1886 until her passing in 1927, and with whom he had six children.
He passed away from the effects of pneumonia and general ill-health, on the 1st June 1952 in New York City, and his cremation ceremony was held the next day.
He subsequently received an honor from the United States Postal Service in the way of a Prominent Americans series 30¢ postage stamp.
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