Lyle H. Lanier
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Lyle H. Lanier (January 11, 1903 – December 30, 1988) was an American
experimental psychologist Experimental psychology is the work done by those who apply Experiment, experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ Research participant, human participants and Animal testing, anim ...
and writer. As a faculty member at
Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
from 1929 to 1938, Lanier published research comparing the mental abilities of whites and blacks, alleging whites were superior. A member of the
Southern Agrarians The Southern Agrarians were twelve American Southerners who wrote an agrarian literary manifesto in 1930. They and their essay collection, ''I’ll Take My Stand: The South and the Agrarian Tradition'', contributed to the Southern Renaissance, ...
, he was a contributor to ''
I'll Take My Stand The Southern Agrarians were twelve American Southerners who wrote an agrarian literary manifesto in 1930. They and their essay collection, ''I’ll Take My Stand: The South and the Agrarian Tradition'', contributed to the Southern Renaissance, ...
: The South and the Agrarian Tradition''. In the 1940s, Lanier was chair of the Department of Psychology at
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...
, where he showed that the pain threshold depended on specific individuals. In 1947, he served as the Executive Director of the Committee on Human Resources of the
United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
. Later, Lanier was chair of the Department of Psychology at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
and the
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...
(UI), followed by vice president and provost at UI. He ended his career as the Director of Administrative Affairs and Educational Statistics for the
American Council of Education The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) U.S. higher education association established in 1918. ACE's members are the leaders of approximately 1,600 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher educatio ...
, and retired in
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.


Early life

Lyle Hicks Lanier was born on January 11, 1903, in
Madison County, Tennessee Madison County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 98,823. Its county seat is Jackson. Madison County is included in the Jackson metropolitan area. History Madis ...
. Lanier was educated in public schools and attended prep school at
Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...
in Indiana. He attended
Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
from 1920 to 1923, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Philosophy. One of his professors, Herbert Charles Sanborn, who was the Chair of Psychology Department at Vanderbilt University, recommended him to work with Professor Joseph Peterson, a scholar in race psychology at
Peabody College Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee ...
, then a separate college across the street from Vanderbilt University. As a result, Lanier received an MA in 1924 and a PhD in 1926 from Peabody College.Fugitives and Agrarians: Brief Biographical Sketches
Vanderbilt University: Jean and Alexander Heard Library: Special Collections and University Archives, December 5, 2012


Academic career

Lanier was an
experimental psychologist Experimental psychology is the work done by those who apply Experiment, experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ Research participant, human participants and Animal testing, anim ...
. He became a faculty member at his alma mater, Vanderbilt University, in 1929, where he taught psychology until 1938. During that time, he published
scientific racism Scientific racism, sometimes termed biological racism, is the pseudoscience, pseudoscientific belief that the Human, human species is divided into biologically distinct taxa called "race (human categorization), races", and that empirical evi ...
. As early as 1929, he gave a lecture to the International Congress of Psychology suggesting whites and black varied "markedly in mental ability". Meanwhile, in his 1929 ''Studies in the Comparative Abilities of Whites and Negroes'', co-authored with Joseph Peterson, Lanier tested the mental abilities of whites versus blacks. They concluded that "the whites were superior" due to "hereditary differences." Moreover, they added that whites finished their tests more quickly; they concluded this was due to "cultural factors." A review published in the ''
American Journal of Sociology The ''American Journal of Sociology'' is a peer-reviewed bi-monthly academic journal that publishes original research and book reviews in the field of sociology and related social sciences. It was founded in 1895 as the first journal in its disci ...
'' in 1930 suggested, "the results show enormous and statistically reliable superiority of whites over Negroes." However, in a review for the ''
American Journal of Psychology The ''American Journal of Psychology'' is a journal devoted primarily to experimental psychology. It is the first such journal to be published in the English language (though ''Mind'', founded in 1876, published some experimental psychology earl ...
'', Otto Klineberg argued that based on their evidence, he came to a "totally different" interpretation. He stressed the role of environment in mental abilities, as New York City blacks tested higher than Southern blacks. Nevertheless, he added that the study offered "a number of other interesting results which would merit serious discussion." Moreover, in 1937, another psychologist named J. P. Foley agreed that the environment was the salient factor, not race. Two years later, in 1939, Lanier responded to Foley and persisted that his views were not "antiquated." From 1932 to 1936, Lanier served as secretary/treasurer of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology.Past officers
In 1934, with Vanderbilt colleague Beverly Douglas, he gave a talk to the society about research they conducted on remaining sensations for victims of accidents who have lost an organ. By 1937, Lanier served as the president of the Southern Society. At Vanderbilt, Lanier also became a Southern Agrarian and contributed an essay entitled 'A Critique of the Philosophy of Progress' to the volume ''
I'll Take My Stand The Southern Agrarians were twelve American Southerners who wrote an agrarian literary manifesto in 1930. They and their essay collection, ''I’ll Take My Stand: The South and the Agrarian Tradition'', contributed to the Southern Renaissance, ...
: The South and the Agrarian Tradition''.Lula Ulrica Whitaker Southern Agrarian Writers Correspondence
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Digital Collections
In his essay, he suggested that community could only occur in "the agrarian community and in the villages and towns which are its adjunct", thus in rural America. He went on to stress the need of a "stable population," thus rejecting immigration, and the family as "the natural biological group, the normal milieu of shared experiences, community of interests, integration of personality." For Paul Lauter, a Professor of American Studies at
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
, Lanier created a "familiar binary" between "industrial capitalism: the city, the artificial, the mechanical, cosmopolitan, Jewish, liberal, and new," including the "terrifying ghost" of "communism", and "the agrarian: natural, traditional, harmonious, balanced, patriarchal, settled--like the medieval world." In a letter to Lula Ulrica Whitaker, a master's student who was writing a thesis on the Southern Agrarians, he stressed the need to stress "private enterprise" over "corporate enterprise".Lyle H. Lanier correspondence with Lula Ulrica Whitaker, 1934 July 12
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Digital Collections
Meanwhile, in a 1936 essay entitled, 'Big Business in the Property State' published in ''Who Owns America: A New Declaration of Independence'', an anthology co-edited by
Allen Tate John Orley Allen Tate (November 19, 1899 – February 9, 1979), known professionally as Allen Tate, was an American poet, essayist, social commentator, and poet laureate from 1943 to 1944. Among his best known works are the poems " Ode to th ...
and
Herbert Agar Herbert Sebastian Agar (29 September 1897 – 24 November 1980) was an American journalist and historian, and an editor of the ''Louisville Courier-Journal''. Early life and education Herbert Sebastian Agar was born September 29, 1897, in New R ...
, Lanier argued against the definition of a corporation as an individual.
Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American lawyer and political activist involved in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. He is a Perennial candidate, perennial presidential candidate. His 1965 book '' ...

Who Owns America?
''
The Imaginative Conservative ''The Imaginative Conservative'' (''TIC'') is an American online conservative journal, founded in 2010. History The co-founders of ''TIC'' were Bradley J. Birzer, the holder of the Russell Amos Kirk chair in American Studies at Hillsdale Colleg ...
'', 2014
He was also in favour of
collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and labour rights, rights for ...
. Indeed, he was in favour of the decentralization of power through widespread small ownership. From 1938 to 1948, Lanier served as the chair of the Department of Psychology at
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...
.Lanier Accepts New Post, Resigns Here
''Vassar Miscellany News'', Volume XXXII, Number 19, March 10, 1948
He served as the treasurer of the Eastern Psychological Association from 1941 to 1947. During that time, he conducted research on fifteen college girls, coming to the conclusion that the level of
electric current An electric current is a flow of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. It is defined as the net rate of flow of electric charge through a surface. The moving particles are called charge c ...
to inflict pain depended on the specific individual: some felt more pain than others. In 1947, Lanier took a leave of absence from Vassar College and served as the executive director of the Committee on Human Resources of the
United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
. A year later, in 1948, he became the chairman of the Department of Psychology at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
. Additionally, he served as Secretary of the
Society of Experimental Psychologists The Society of Experimental Psychologists (SEP), originally called the Society of Experimentalists, is an academic society for experimental psychologists. It was founded by Edward Bradford Titchener in 1904 to be an ongoing workshop in which mem ...
from 1948 to 1951. Lanier was a professor and head of the Department of Psychology at the
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...
from 1950 to 1958, and as the Dean of its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 1959 to 1960.University of Illinois library
/ref> He entered into a contract with the
Air Force Personnel Center The Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) is a field operating agency of Headquarters, U.S. Air Force, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower and Personnel. AFPC operates the Air Force Contact Center, where personnel experts provide customer service. T ...
to establish the Training Research Laboratory. As Dean, Lanier, alongside President David Dodds Henry, was held personally responsible for firing Leo Koch, an Assistant Professor of Biology who had written a public letter promoting
premarital sex Premarital sex is sex before marriage. It is an act of sex between two people who are not married to each other. Premarital sex is considered a sin by a number of religions and also considered a moral issue which is taboo in many cultures. S ...
. However, in another letter, President Henry made it clear that Lanier agreed with him, not Koch. Lanier went on to serve as Executive Vice-President and Provost of the University of Illinois from 1960 to 1972.University of Illinois Archives: James Reston with David D. Henry and Lyle Lanier
/ref> In 1962, as provost, he imposed a strict no-cheating policy, and asked professors to report any instances of cheating during exams. Meanwhile, in 1963, he approved of the arrest of a Christian evangelist on campus due to regulations. In 1967, he suggested basing freshman acceptance bids on psychology tests rather than high school grades. Upon his retirement in 1972, he was replaced by John E. Corbally, Jr. In 1972, Lanier became the Director of Administrative Affairs and Educational Statistics for the
American Council of Education The American Council on Education (ACE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) U.S. higher education association established in 1918. ACE's members are the leaders of approximately 1,600 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher educatio ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
In 1975, he co-authored a book on the financial state of American colleges and universities from 1972 to 1975 with Charles J. Andersen. He retired a year later, in 1976.


Personal life

Lanier married the daughter of William L. Nichol, a "general freight agent" for the
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a Rail transport company, railway company that operated in the U.S. states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, ...
. They had a son, Lyle Lanier, Jr., and a daughter, Catherine (Lanier) Lemon, who married L. Gene Lemon.University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Department of Psychology: 2015 Lyle Lanier Lecture
/ref>


Death and legacy

He died on December 30, 1988, at his retirement home in
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
. The annual ''Lanier Lecture'' at the University of Illinois was established in his honor by his daughter and his son. In 2015, it was given by Professor Emanuel Donchin.


Works

* ''Race Differences in Three Non-linguistic Tests'' (Nashville, Tennessee: George Peabody College for Teachers, 1924). * ''Studies in the comparative abilities of whites and Negroes'' (co-authored with Joseph Peterson; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Williams & Wilkins, 1929). * ''I'll Take My Stand: The South and the Agrarian Tradition'' (co-authored with Donald Davidson, John Gould Fletcher, Henry Blue Kline, Stark Young, Allen Tate, Andrew Nelson Lytle, Herman Clarence Nixon, Frank Lawrence Owsley,
John Crowe Ransom John Crowe Ransom (April 30, 1888 – July 3, 1974) was an American educator, scholar, literary critic, poet, essayist and editor. He is considered to be a founder of the New Criticism school of literary criticism. As a faculty member at Kenyon ...
, John Donald Wade, and Robert Penn Warren, Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press1930). * ''A study of the financial condition of colleges and universities: 1972-1975'' (co-authored with Charles J. Andersen, Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education, 1975).Google Books
/ref>


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lanier, Lyle H. 1903 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American essayists Southern Agrarians American psychology writers American segregationists Educators from Tennessee Experimental psychologists New York University faculty People from Madison County, Tennessee People involved in race and intelligence controversies United States Department of Defense officials University of Illinois faculty Vanderbilt University alumni Vanderbilt University faculty Vassar College faculty Writers from Tennessee Proponents of scientific racism