Christopher Sandy Jencks (October 22, 1936 – February 8, 2025) was an American

social scientist Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

Background

Born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

on October 22, 1936, he graduated from

Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...

in New Hampshire in 1954 and was president of the school's newspaper, the Exonian, as a senior. After Exeter, he received an A.B. in English from Harvard in 1958, followed by a M.Ed. in

Harvard Graduate School of Education The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first ...

. During the year 1960–1961 he studied sociology at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

Career

Jencks was Malcolm Wiener Professor of

Social Policy Some professionals and universities consider social policy a subset of public policy, while other practitioners characterize social policy and public policy to be two separate, competing approaches for the same public interest (similar to MD a ...

in the Kennedy School of Government at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, Emeritus. He held positions at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

and the

University of California at Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an independent teachers college, UCSB joine ...

. His interests were in the study of education, social stratification, social mobility, family structure, poverty and the poor. Prior to his university career, he was an editor at ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...

'' from 1961 to 1967 and a fellow of the

Institute for Policy Studies The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) is an American Progressivism in the United States, progressive think tank, formed in 1963 and based in Washington, D.C. It was directed by John Cavanagh (economist), John Cavanagh from 1998 to 2021. In 202 ...

in Washington, DC from 1963 to 1967. He served as an editor of ''

The American Prospect ''The American Prospect'' is a daily online and bimonthly print American political and public policy magazine dedicated to American modern liberalism and Progressivism in the United States, progressivism. Based in Washington, D.C., ''The America ...

''. He published 28 essays in The New York Review of Books (https://www.nybooks.com/contributors/christopher-jencks/)and many in The New Republic.

Richwine controversy

Jencks was part of the dissertation committee at Harvard's Kennedy School that in 2009 awarded Jason Richwine – a former member of

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (or simply Heritage) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it took a leading role in the conservative movement in the 1980s during the Presi ...

– a PhD for his thesis, "IQ and Immigration Policy". Criticized for the way it linked race to IQ levels, the thesis lost Richwine his job at the Foundation. According to an article in ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

'' by journalist and historian

Jon Wiener Jon Wiener (born May 16, 1944) is an American historian and journalist based in Los Angeles, California. His most recent book is ''Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties'', a ''Los Angeles Times'' bestseller co-authored by Mike Davis (sch ...

, Jencks was "for decades a leading figure among liberals who did serious research on inequality ..." and knew exactly what was "wrong with the studies purporting to link 'race' with 'IQ'." When Wiener asked if Jencks would comment on issues involving the PhD, he replied, "Nope. But thanks for asking."

Personal life and death

After two prior marriages ended in divorce, Jencks married

Jane Mansbridge Jane Jebb Mansbridge (born November 19, 1939) is an American political scientist. She is the Charles F. Adams Professor of Political Leadership and Democratic Values in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Mansbridge has made ...

in 1976; they had a son. Jencks died from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

at his home in

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by ...

, on February 8, 2025, at the age of 88.

Selected bibliography

* The Academic Revolution (with

David Riesman David Riesman (September 22, 1909 – May 10, 2002) was an American sociologist, educator, and best-selling commentator on American society. Career Born to a wealthy German Jewish family, Riesman attended Harvard College, where he graduated in ...

, 1968, reissued 2001) * Inequality: A Reassessment of the Effects of Family and Schooling in America (with seven co-authors, 1972) * Who Gets Ahead? (with eleven co-authors, 1979) * The Urban Underclass (with Paul Peterson, 1991) * Rethinking Social Policy (1992) * The Homeless (1994) * The Black-White Test Score Gap (with Meredith Phillips, 1998)

Prizes, awards and honors

Jencks received awards for his work on different topics within sociology. For his work with

documenting "the rise to power of professional scholars and scientists", he received the 1968 Borden Prize for Best Book on Higher Education. For his book on inequality he was the co-recipient of the 1974 Best Book in Sociology award from the American Sociological Association. For his book and articles on homelessness, he received the 1994 Best Book in Sociology and Anthropology from Association of American Publishers, and the 1995 Harry Chapin Media Award. He also received the 1992 Willard Waller Award for lifetime achievement.

References

Sources

Curriculum vitae of JencksCitation for Jencks
on website of American Academy of Political and Social Science
Official homepage
at Harvard University
Citation for Jencks
on website of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

Home page
Stanford Center for Poverty and Inequality
Membership list
National Academy of Arts and Sciences * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jencks, Christopher 1936 births 2025 deaths 20th-century American social scientists 21st-century American social scientists Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Massachusetts Harvard College alumni Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Harvard University faculty Members of the American Philosophical Society Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Northwestern University faculty Scientists from Baltimore The New Republic people University of Chicago faculty