Frederick Starr

Born in Auburn, New York, in 1858, he became an American academic and anthropologist whose career included teaching posts at Coe College, Chautauqua, Pomona College, and, most notably, the University of Chicago, where he helped build anthropology in its early years. Before that, he also worked at the American Museum of Natural History.

He traveled widely for research, with work connected to Mexico, Central Africa, and Japan. In Japan he developed a strong interest in popular religious prints and pilgrim slips, earning a local nickname linked to that specialty. He was also a prolific writer and a popular lecturer, known for bringing anthropology to general audiences as well as students.

He retired from the University of Chicago in 1923 and died in Tokyo in 1933. Today he is remembered as a colorful, energetic figure in early American anthropology—part scholar, part collector, and part public educator.