Elliott, Mabel A. (Mabel Agnes), 1898-1990

Mabel Agnes Elliott was born in Liscomb, Iowa, on May 13, 1898. She took her B.A. (1922), M.A. (1923), and Ph.D. (1929) degrees in sociology, all from Northwestern University. Her doctoral dissertation was entitled, “Conflicting Theories of Penology as Represented in Certain Phases of Criminal Statutory Legislation in Thirteen States from 1900 to 1927.”

Elliott taught sociology briefly at, respectively, the University of Minnesota, Stephens College, and Northwestern and then joined the faculty at the University of Kansas in 1929 where she remained until 1947. She then accepted a position as professor of sociology and chairman of the sociology department at the Pennsylvania College for Women (later, Chatham College). She retired from Chatham in 1965.

Elliott spent a month in the Soviet Union during the summer of 1935 and held a Fullbright professorship in law at the University of Bonn in 1955-1956.

She often addressed professional audiences and authored several works relating to sociology, criminology, and penology. Elliott was best known for her text, Social Disorganization, written in collaboration with Francis E. Merrill.

From the guide to the Mabel A. Elliott (1898-1990) Papers, 1924-1976, (Northwestern University Archives)