Roy Wright Menninger (October 27, 1926 – October 24, 2024) was an American medical doctor and psychiatrist. He served as president and CEO of the

Menninger Foundation The Menninger Foundation was founded in 1919 by the Menninger family in Topeka, Kansas. The Menninger Foundation, known locally as Menninger's, consists of a clinic, a sanatorium, and a school of psychiatry, all of which bear the Menninger name ...

from 1967 to 1993.

Early life and education

Roy Wright Menninger was born on October 27, 1926, as the first of three sons to

William C. Menninger William Claire Menninger (October 15, 1899 – September 6, 1966) was a co-founder with his brother Karl and his father of The Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas, an internationally known center for treatment of behavioral disorders. Life ...

and his wife Catherine Wright, while they lived in New York. His father was completing an internship at Bellevue Hospital. The family returned to Topeka, Kansas in 1927, when his father joined the Menninger Clinic, with his brother

Karl Menninger Karl Augustus Menninger (July 22, 1893 – July 18, 1990) was an American psychiatrist, author, and activist. He was a member of the Menninger family of psychiatrists who founded the Menninger Foundation and the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, ...

and father Charles Frederick Menninger. Menninger grew up in the world of medicine and psychiatry. Menninger graduated from

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

in 1947 and from the Cornell University Medical College in 1951. He interned at New York Hospital in New York City and served his residency in psychiatry at Boston State Hospital and Boston Psychopathic Hospital. He was married in June 1951 to Ann Catherine Colwell.

Career

Early in his career, Menninger served as a teaching and research fellow at Harvard Medical School. He also served on the staff of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. From 1953 to 1955, he served as a psychiatrist with the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, including a tour of duty in

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

, Austria. Following his military service, he studied neurology in London. Beginning in 1961, he served as a staff psychiatrist of the C.F. Menninger Memorial Hospital in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...

. In March 1964, he also became co-director of the

's Division of School Mental Health. He became a nationally recognized expert on psychiatric issues relating to suicide stress, and personal satisfaction. In 1967, he was elected as president and CEO of the Menninger Foundation, operator of the Menninger Clinic and Menninger Hospital. During his time as president, the Menninger Clinic was recognized as "one of the major psychiatric treatment and teaching facilities in the world." Also under his leadership, the foundation successfully raised funds on a national basis to build a new $23-million hospital (completed in 1982) and underwent major expansion, extending its work to include

group psychotherapy Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group. The term can legitimately refer to any form of psychotherapy when delivered in a group format, i ...

family therapy Family therapy (also referred to as family counseling, family systems therapy, marriage and family therapy, couple and family therapy) is a branch of psychotherapy focused on families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and ...

biofeedback Biofeedback is the technique of gaining greater awareness of many physiology, physiological functions of one's own body by using Electronics, electronic or other instruments, and with a goal of being able to Manipulation (psychology), manipulate ...

, a

halfway house A halfway house is a type of prison or institute intended to teach (or reteach) the necessary skills for people to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves. Halfway houses are typically either state sponsored for those ...

, short-term psychotherapy, and an alcohol and drug rehabilitation program. The Foundation grew during his presidency to 1,100 employees, a $65 million annual budget, and an endowment of $90 million. Lawrence J. Friedman, author of a book on the Menningers, characterized Roy Menninger's presidency as one in which the concern for fundraising and building construction was greater than that for psychiatric research. Menninger said that he found Friedman's book "distasteful" and "a gossipy tabloid portrayal" of the family and foundation. In 1993, Menninger retired as president and CEO, and his brother, W. Walter Menninger, took over as president. He remained as chairman of the foundation's board of trustees, overseeing the foundation's move to

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

in the early 2000s as part of a partnership with

Baylor College of Medicine The Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a private medical school in Houston, Texas, United States. Originally as the Baylor University College of Medicine from 1903 to 1969, the college became independent with the current name and has been se ...

and the Methodist Health Care System. Menninger and John Nemiah co-edited the book ''American Psychiatry after World War II, 1944–1994''.

Death

Menninger died on October 24, 2024, at the age of 97.

References

External Links

* * Search on Roy Menninger i
Menninger Foundation Archives
from Kansas State

Historical Society A historical society is non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of a particular place, group of people, or topic. They play a crucial role in promoting historical awareness and understan ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menninger, Roy W. 1926 births 2024 deaths American psychiatrists Swarthmore College alumni Cornell University alumni People from Topeka, Kansas