Chapin, F. Stuart (Francis Stuart), 1888-1974

F. Stuart Chapin was a sociologist and university professor, who helped develop Social Science Abstracts.

Francis Stuart Chapin was a sociologist and social theorist, who served as Professor and Chairman of the University of Minnesota Dept. of Sociology, 1923-1951, and as a Professor until 1953. From 1923-1949, Chapin headed the program which became the School of Social Work. Chapin also set up the Smith College social work program, during his tenure there (1912-1923). Chapin was largely responsible for the development and publication of Social Science Abstracts, which he developed with the assistance of the Social Science Research Council, of which Chapin was an original member.

Francis Stuart Chapin was born on February 3, 1888 in Brooklyn, New York. He received his bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1909. He also obtained his Master of Arts degree in sociology in 1910 and a Ph.D. in 1911 from Columbia. He taught economics at Wellesley College for one year and then moved to Smith College where he taught sociology and served as department chair (1912-1921). He was also director of the Smith College School for Social Work for three years (1918-1921).

Dr. Chapin accepted the position of professor of sociology and chair of the department in 1922 at the University of Minnesota (1922-1953). In addition to his sociology appointment, he again directed the social work program at the University: the Training Course for Social Work (1922-1950) and served as the first director of the newly developed School of Social Work in 1941.

In 1929, Dr. Chapin took a leave from the University to serve as editor of Social Science Abstracts . Professor Chapin was involved with Social Science Abstracts since its inception. It was he that proposed to the Executive Committee of the American Sociological Society in 1919 that a Committee be appointed to devise a plan to provide indices of abstracts of the literature in the social sciences. In April 1928, Social Science Abstracts was incorporated and publication began in March 1929, continuing monthly through the completion of the fourth volume in December 1932. A decline in subscriptions during the early years of the depression was a major influence in the Social Science Research Council’s decision on September 13, 1932, to discontinue its support of Social Science Abstracts. Even with the immeasurable support and time given by Dr. Chapin, the journal was unable to find sufficient additional financing and ceased publication at the end of 1932.

Dr. Chapin had an untiring work ethic. He was a member of many social science and social work associations, including American Sociological Association, where he served as president in 1936, and the Minnesota Council on Social Agencies, in addition to his work on Social Science Abstracts and teaching at the University. He retired in 1953 as professor emeritus. Dr. Chapin continued to write and edit works on sociology and social work during his retirement up until his death on July 7, 1974.