Gault, Robert H. (Robert Harvey), 1874-1971

Dates

• Existence: 1874 - 1971

Biography

Robert Harvey Gault taught psychology at Northwestern University from 1909 to 1940. His primary areas of interest included, psychology of the criminal, criminology and Vibro-Tactile senses in regards to the deaf and blind. In addition, he authored text books and taught at DePaul following his retirement from Northwestern. Dr. Gault died in 1971.

Robert Harvey Gault was born in Ellsworth, Ohio, on November 3, 1874, the son of Andrew Robison and Martha (McCullough) Gault. He attended Wooster (Ohio) College from 1896-1898 and was principal of the Historic Academy at Poland, Ohio for two years. He received his Bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1902, did graduate work at Clark University, 1902-1903, and received his PhD. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1905. He was Professor of Psychology and Education at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland 1905-1909. He then came to Northwestern, where he was Instructor (1909-1911), Assistant Professor (1911-1913), Associate Professor (1913-1918), and Professor of Psychology until his retirement in 1940, when he was named Professor Emeritus. He married Anne Lee in 1907 and after her death in 1937, he married Mary Louise Woseczek in 1939.

His primary areas of interest included the psychology of the criminal and criminology. He became the second editor-in-chief of Northwestern's Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology which was founded in May, 1910 in conjunction with the first National Conference on Criminology. He edited the journal from Volume 2 Number 4 in 1911 through Volume 50 in 1960. He also often contributed articles, editorials and book reviews to the journal. He edited numbers 1-4 (1914-1923) of Criminal Science Monographs, a supplement to the journal. He did a detailed study for the Chicago Crime Commission in 1914 and later became a board member.

He later became interested in the Vibro-Tactile senses in regard to work with the deaf-blind. In connection with this interest he took a temporary leave from the university to do research at the National Research Council, 1924-1927, and the Carnegie Institute, 1927-1929. From 1925-1940 he served as director of the Vibro-Tactile Laboratory, originally at Smith College, but transferred to Northwestern in 1928. In 1940 he also served as an administrative assistant for the Illinois State Department of Public Welfare where he prepared various reports concerned with the deaf-blind and the American Institute for the Deaf-Blind.

Gault also became involved in writing industrial history, sales and product literature and technical handbooks. He served as an education and training counselor at International Harvester Company, 1944-1945.

From 1952-1956 he lectured at the DePaul University Evening School of Coumuerce. He was the author of Social Psychology 1923 (revised 1940), Criminology 1931 and the co-author of General Psychology 1928 (second edition, 1933). Dr. Gault died in Evanston on June 16, 1971.

Found in 1 Collection or Record: