Waggoner, Raymond W.

Raymond W. Waggoner was chairman of the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry from 1937 until his retirement in 1970. At the heart of his diverse interests was the belief that the causes and cures for mental diseases had both biological and psychological bases. This view is now widely accepted, but when Waggoner entered the profession, his interest in the neuroscientific aspects of psychiatric treatment was unusual. Under his direction the Department of Psychiatry developed programs which successfully integrated neuroscience into its clinical and educational programs. Waggoner's other professional interests included child and adolescent psychiatry, mental health issues relating to military service, human sexuality, and community mental health.

Born in Carson City, Michigan on August 2, 1901, Waggoner took his undergraduate and medical training at the University of Michigan. He earned his M.D. degree in 1924, and a Doctor of Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1930. He originally planned to be a neurosurgeon, however when he joined the University of Michigan neurology faculty in 1929 he became heavily involved in treating patients who had been referred from the State Psychopathic Hospital. At first, he helped colleagues interpret the Freudian terms on these patients' charts, but he progressed quickly to providing treatment for many of the mentally ill patients at the University Hospital.

While in England on sabbatical in 1936, Waggoner was offered the post of chairman of the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry. The offer was a surprise to him, but his interest in the biological sources of mental illness as well as psychoanalysis made him attractive to medical school administrators. Their goal was to develop a psychiatry department with diverse clinical and research strengths, which would be a leader in integrating a variety of approaches to the treatment of mental illnesses. Waggoner proved able to do this, and took the lead in bringing major research and treatment centers to Michigan. He lobbied to change state laws governing treatment of mentally ill patients, and this led to the 1939 opening of the Neuropsychiatric Institute, which replaced the old State Psychopathic Hospital. He also helped establish the Child Psychiatry Hospital in 1955, and the Mental Health Research Institute (MHRI) in 1960.

Waggoner's activities extended well beyond the University of Michigan. He was active in the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the American Medical Association (AMA) and many other professional associations. During World War II, he served as an adviser to the Selective Service, and developed a psychiatric test which was used to determine draftees' mental fitness for military service. After the war, Waggoner worked with the U.S. Surgeon General's office, studying the effects of postwar occupation on Japan and Germany, and also gave advice about easing veterans' transition to civilian life. The latter led to the creation of the Veterans' Readjustment Center in Ann Arbor in 1946. On the local level, Waggoner was concerned about the availability of community mental health services, and he helped establish the Community Mental Health Center of Washtenaw County in 1966. He also played a role in organizing a medical assistant training program at Cleary College in Ypsilanti.

After his retirement from the Department of Psychiatry in 1970, Waggoner remained professionally active. He was a psychiatric consultant for the Masters and Johnson Institute studies in human sexuality, regularly worked at his office on campus, and continued to treat patients until he was well into his eighties. Waggoner died in 2000.

From the guide to the Raymond W. Waggoner Papers, 1926-1977, (Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan)