Ernest Beaglehole (25 August 1906 – 23 October 1965) was a New Zealand psychologist and ethnologist best known for his work in establishing an anthropological baseline for numerous Pacific Island cultures.

Early life and education

Beaglehole was born to David Ernest Beaglehole and his wife Jane Butler in Wellington as the youngest of four children. He attended Mount Cook School until he left for Wellington College. He continued to Victoria University College, where his abilities first began to receive some notice. There he completed his master's degree in 1928. He studied in London for his PhD work on acquisitiveness and the psychological basis of property. While in London, Beaglehole met Pearl Malsin, an American student from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. After completing his PhD, he received the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship. This supported his traveling to

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in Connecticut to conduct post-doctoral research. Pearl later joined him in New Haven, and they were married on 24 May 1933. At Yale, Beaglehole met Peter Buck, a professor who "arranged for the Beagleholes to go to

Pukapuka Pukapuka, formerly Danger Island, is a coral atoll in the Northern Cook Islands, northern group of the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most remote islands of the Cook Islands, situated about northwest of Rarotonga. On th ...

, a remote Northern Cook Islands atoll, as part of his comprehensive Pacific island ethnographic survey".

Research and achievements

From his studies of Pacific Island cultures, Beaglehole wrote many books. Following his research in Pukapuka, he published ''Ethnology of Pukapuka'' (1938). He and his wife continued this research, and a year later he published ''Some Modern Hawaiians'' (1939). Beaglehole returned to Victoria University College as a senior lecturer, where his brother John Cawte Beaglehole was a noted researcher in his own right. Ernest Beaglehole was awarded a Doctorate in Letters in 1940, and in 1948 he was appointed chair of psychology and philosophy. His next book was ''Some Modern Maoris.'' He completed his scholarship in the field with his work ''Social Change in the South Pacific'' (1957). Throughout his works he placed a great deal of emphasis on the facts of native cultures and the fading of these cultures over time. During the 1950s, Beaglehole was frequently consulted for his expertise. Most notably, he was one of the primary authors of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

's ''

The Race Question UNESCO has published several statements about issues of race. The statements include: *''Statement on race'' (Paris, July 1950) *''Statement on the nature of race and race differences'' (Paris, June 1951) *''Proposals on the biological a ...

'', an international statement by sociologists about the unscientific and immoral nature of

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

and race theories. He was later called upon by the ILO in various capacities, initially as a field adviser and leader, and later as chairman of the ILO Committee of Experts on Indigenous Labor.

Personal life

Beaglehole died at the age of 59 in

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...

, on 23 October 1965. He was survived by his wife Pearl and their four children. Two followed their parents into academia: their daughter Jane Ritchie became a full professor at the

University of Waikato The University of Waikato (), established in 1964, is a Public university, public research university located in Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand. An additional campus is located in Tauranga. The university performs research in nume ...

as an expert in child-raising. Their son David Beaglehole was a professor of physical electronics and Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Awards and honors

* Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand * Hector Memorial Medal and Prize * Polynesian Society * British Psychological Society * American Anthropological Association

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaglehole, Ernest New Zealand ethnologists 1906 births 1965 deaths People from Wellington City 20th-century New Zealand psychologists

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic languages, Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), ...