George Murdock

George Peter Murdock (May 11, 1897 – March 29, 1985) was an American anthropologist known for his empirical approach to ethnological studies. He held professorships at Yale University and the University of Pittsburgh. Murdock's research focused on family and kinship structures across different cultures. His influential 1967 Ethnographic Atlas dataset covers more than 1,200 pre-industrial societies and is widely used in social science research. In addition to his academic work, Murdock also served as an FBI informant during the McCarthyism era, providing information on his fellow anthropologists. Born in Meriden, Connecticut, Murdock grew up on a family farm and graduated from Yale University with a BA in American History.