SOCIOLOGIST
C. Wright Mills
1916 - 1962

C. Wright Mills
Charles Wright Mills (August 28, 1916 – March 20, 1962) was an American sociologist, and a professor of sociology at Columbia University from 1946 until his death in 1962. Mills published widely in both popular and intellectual journals, and is remembered for several books, such as The Power Elite, White Collar: The American Middle Classes, and The Sociological Imagination. Mills was concerned with the responsibilities of intellectuals in post–World War II society, and he advocated public and political engagement over disinterested observation. One of Mills's biographers, Daniel Geary, writes that Mills's writings had a "particularly significant impact on New Left social movements of the 1960s era." It was Mills who popularized the term "New Left" in the U.S., in a 1960 open letter "Letter to the New Left". Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. C. Wright Mills is the 21st most popular sociologist (up from 22nd in 2019), the 1,441st most popular biography from United States (down from 1,164th in 2019) and the 5th most popular American Sociologist.
C. Wright Mills is most famous for his book, The Sociological Imagination, which discusses the need for a sociological imagination in order to understand social problems.
Memorability Metrics
Page views of C. Wright Mills by language
Among SOCIOLOGISTS
Among sociologists, C. Wright Mills ranks 21 out of 79. Before him are Niklas Luhmann, Gabriel Tarde, Manuel Castells, Seymour Martin Lipset, Pitirim Sorokin, and Alain Touraine. After him are Paul Lazarsfeld, Robert Michels, Peter L. Berger, Saskia Sassen, Ziya Gökalp, and Robert N. Bellah.
Most Popular Sociologists in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsNiklas Luhmann
1927 - 1998
HPI: 70.91
Rank: 15
Gabriel Tarde
1843 - 1904
HPI: 70.66
Rank: 16
Manuel Castells
1942 - Present
HPI: 70.08
Rank: 17
Seymour Martin Lipset
1922 - 2006
HPI: 69.18
Rank: 18
Pitirim Sorokin
1889 - 1968
HPI: 69.16
Rank: 19
Alain Touraine
1925 - 2023
HPI: 68.02
Rank: 20
C. Wright Mills
1916 - 1962
HPI: 68.01
Rank: 21
Paul Lazarsfeld
1901 - 1976
HPI: 67.45
Rank: 22
Robert Michels
1876 - 1936
HPI: 66.84
Rank: 23
Peter L. Berger
1929 - 2017
HPI: 66.69
Rank: 24
Saskia Sassen
1947 - Present
HPI: 65.88
Rank: 25
Ziya Gökalp
1876 - 1924
HPI: 65.74
Rank: 26
Robert N. Bellah
1927 - 2013
HPI: 65.25
Rank: 27
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1916, C. Wright Mills ranks 47. Before him are Masaki Kobayashi, Virginia Satir, Marcel Cerdan, Peter Weiss, Peter Finch, and Amha Selassie. After him are Raf Vallone, P. W. Botha, Dino Risi, Ephraim Katzir, Carl Johan Bernadotte, and Dương Văn Minh. Among people deceased in 1962, C. Wright Mills ranks 33. Before him are Alfred Cortot, Ronald Fisher, Shunroku Hata, Georgios Papanikolaou, Hans Lammers, and Therese Neumann. After him are Joseph Berchtold, Hanns Eisler, Jacques Ibert, Killing of Peter Fechter, Ivan Meštrović, and Dušan Simović.
Others Born in 1916
Go to all RankingsMasaki Kobayashi
FILM DIRECTOR
1916 - 1996
HPI: 68.72
Rank: 41
Virginia Satir
WRITER
1916 - 1988
HPI: 68.47
Rank: 42
Marcel Cerdan
POLITICIAN
1916 - 1949
HPI: 68.45
Rank: 43
Peter Weiss
WRITER
1916 - 1982
HPI: 68.43
Rank: 44
Peter Finch
ACTOR
1916 - 1977
HPI: 68.39
Rank: 45
Amha Selassie
POLITICIAN
1916 - 1997
HPI: 68.02
Rank: 46
C. Wright Mills
SOCIOLOGIST
1916 - 1962
HPI: 68.01
Rank: 47
Raf Vallone
ACTOR
1916 - 2002
HPI: 67.93
Rank: 48
P. W. Botha
POLITICIAN
1916 - 2006
HPI: 67.80
Rank: 49
Dino Risi
FILM DIRECTOR
1916 - 2008
HPI: 67.68
Rank: 50
Ephraim Katzir
POLITICIAN
1916 - 2009
HPI: 67.56
Rank: 51
Carl Johan Bernadotte
POLITICIAN
1916 - 2012
HPI: 67.55
Rank: 52
Dương Văn Minh
POLITICIAN
1916 - 2001
HPI: 67.07
Rank: 53
Others Deceased in 1962
Go to all RankingsAlfred Cortot
MUSICIAN
1877 - 1962
HPI: 69.06
Rank: 27
Ronald Fisher
STATISTICIAN
1890 - 1962
HPI: 69.05
Rank: 28
Shunroku Hata
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1879 - 1962
HPI: 69.00
Rank: 29
Georgios Papanikolaou
PHYSICIAN
1883 - 1962
HPI: 68.56
Rank: 30
Hans Lammers
POLITICIAN
1879 - 1962
HPI: 68.27
Rank: 31
Therese Neumann
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1898 - 1962
HPI: 68.16
Rank: 32
C. Wright Mills
SOCIOLOGIST
1916 - 1962
HPI: 68.01
Rank: 33
Joseph Berchtold
POLITICIAN
1897 - 1962
HPI: 67.91
Rank: 34
Hanns Eisler
COMPOSER
1898 - 1962
HPI: 67.76
Rank: 35
Jacques Ibert
COMPOSER
1890 - 1962
HPI: 67.68
Rank: 36
Killing of Peter Fechter
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1944 - 1962
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 37
Ivan Meštrović
SCULPTOR
1883 - 1962
HPI: 67.14
Rank: 38
Dušan Simović
POLITICIAN
1882 - 1962
HPI: 67.00
Rank: 39
In United States
Among people born in United States, C. Wright Mills ranks 1,441 out of 20,380. Before him are Tom Morello (1964), Vincent Price (1911), Bill Russell (1934), Betty White (1922), Leland H. Hartwell (1939), and Walter Gilbert (1932). After him are Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794), Robert Rodriguez (1968), Linda Lee Cadwell (1945), Lawrence M. Krauss (1954), John Corbett (1961), and Robert Reich (1946).
Others born in United States
Go to all RankingsTom Morello
SINGER
1964 - Present
HPI: 68.03
Rank: 1,435
Vincent Price
ACTOR
1911 - 1993
HPI: 68.03
Rank: 1,436
Bill Russell
BASKETBALL PLAYER
1934 - 2022
HPI: 68.02
Rank: 1,437
Betty White
ACTOR
1922 - 2021
HPI: 68.02
Rank: 1,438
Leland H. Hartwell
BIOLOGIST
1939 - Present
HPI: 68.02
Rank: 1,439
Walter Gilbert
CHEMIST
1932 - Present
HPI: 68.02
Rank: 1,440
C. Wright Mills
SOCIOLOGIST
1916 - 1962
HPI: 68.01
Rank: 1,441
Cornelius Vanderbilt
BUSINESSPERSON
1794 - 1877
HPI: 68.01
Rank: 1,442
Robert Rodriguez
FILM DIRECTOR
1968 - Present
HPI: 68.01
Rank: 1,443
Linda Lee Cadwell
MARTIAL ARTS
1945 - Present
HPI: 68.01
Rank: 1,444
Lawrence M. Krauss
PHYSICIST
1954 - Present
HPI: 68.00
Rank: 1,445
John Corbett
ACTOR
1961 - Present
HPI: 68.00
Rank: 1,446
Robert Reich
ECONOMIST
1946 - Present
HPI: 67.99
Rank: 1,447
Among SOCIOLOGISTS In United States
Among sociologists born in United States, C. Wright Mills ranks 5. Before him are Robert K. Merton (1910), Talcott Parsons (1902), Immanuel Wallerstein (1930), and Seymour Martin Lipset (1922). After him are Robert N. Bellah (1927), Daniel Bell (1919), Harold Garfinkel (1917), Robert E. Park (1864), W. I. Thomas (1863), Herbert Blumer (1900), and Howard S. Becker (1928).
Robert K. Merton
1910 - 2003
HPI: 76.49
Rank: 1
Talcott Parsons
1902 - 1979
HPI: 73.67
Rank: 2
Immanuel Wallerstein
1930 - 2019
HPI: 71.29
Rank: 3
Seymour Martin Lipset
1922 - 2006
HPI: 69.18
Rank: 4
C. Wright Mills
1916 - 1962
HPI: 68.01
Rank: 5
Robert N. Bellah
1927 - 2013
HPI: 65.25
Rank: 6
Daniel Bell
1919 - 2011
HPI: 65.05
Rank: 7
Harold Garfinkel
1917 - 2011
HPI: 64.55
Rank: 8
Robert E. Park
1864 - 1944
HPI: 64.17
Rank: 9
W. I. Thomas
1863 - 1947
HPI: 64.07
Rank: 10
Herbert Blumer
1900 - 1987
HPI: 62.60
Rank: 11
Howard S. Becker
1928 - 2023
HPI: 62.15
Rank: 12