William Chambliss

William Joseph Chambliss (1933 – February 22, 2014) was an American criminologist and sociologist. He was a professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at The George Washington University for over 20 years.[1] He was a pioneer of the conflict theory (social theory) which concluded, among other things, that conflict between different social classes is the fundamental force in capitalist societies.[3] In addition to his transformative scholarly contributions, he was a teacher-scholar and mentor to many of today’s leading criminologists and sociologists. [4]

William Chambliss
William J. Chambliss
Born	William Joseph Chambliss 1933 Buffalo, New York
Died	February 22, 2014 (age 80) Washington, D.C.
Nationality	American
Education	University of California, Los Angeles (B.A., 1955), Indiana University (Ph.D., 1962)
Spouse(s)	Louisa Mackie (divorced), Pernille Baadsager Chambliss (married until his death)[1]
Children	3[1]
Awards	Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Criminology section and the Sociology of Law section of the American Sociological Association[2]
Scientific career
Fields	Criminology, sociology
Institutions	George Washington University
Thesis	The selection of friends (1962)
Influences	Donald Cressey, Alfred R. Lindesmith[3]

Early life and education

William Chambliss was born in 1933 in Buffalo, New York.[1][5] He received his B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1955 and his Ph.D. from the Indiana University in 1962, both in sociology. As a young man, he also served in the Counterintelligence Corps during the Korean War.[1][6]

Career

Chambliss' first academic position was at the University of Washington, where he joined the faculty just after receiving his Ph.D. In 1967, he followed Donald Cressey, one of his early mentors, to the University of California, Santa Barbara.[3] He later taught at the University of Delaware for a decade before joining George Washington University in 1986.[1]

Personal life and death

Chambliss was married to Pernille Chambliss, with whom he had three children: Jeffrey, Lauren, and James.[2] He died of cancer on February 22, 2014.[1]

Honors and awards

Chambliss received two Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Sociological Association: one from its Criminology section and the other from its Sociology of Law section.[2] He also served as the president of the American Criminological Society and the Society for the Study of Social Problems. In 2012, the Society for the Study of Social Problems created the William J. Chambliss Lifetime Achievement Award to "recognize career-spanning excellence and achievement in the area of law and society."[1]

References

1. "William J. Chambliss, criminologist, professor". The Washington Post. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
2. Calavita, Kitty. "William J. Chambliss (1933–2014)". Law and Society Association. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
3. Cullen, Francis (2010). Encyclopedia of Criminological Theory. SAGE Publications. pp. 141–7. ISBN 9781452265773.
4. "On the Passing of Prof. William Chambliss | University Honors Program Blog". Retrieved 2019-12-07.
5. Shank, Gregory (28 February 2014). "Remembering Bill Chambliss (1933–2014)". Social Justice. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
6. Stolley, Kathy (2005). The Basics of Sociology. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 124. ISBN 9780313323874.

External links

• William Chambliss publications indexed by Google Scholar