Albert Clanton Spaulding was born in Choteau, Montana on August
13, 1914. He received his Bachelors Degree at Montana State University in 1935. During this
time, he married his long time girlfriend, Charlotte Smith, with whom he would
eventually have two children. He went on to receive his Masters Degree from the
University of Michigan in 1937.
Spaulding earned his Masters Degree in Anthropology at the University of Michigan and then went on to teach at the University of Montana for a year. Following this venture, Spaulding was admitted into the Works Progress Administration where he supervised archeological projects for nearly five years. From there he went on to join the War Mapping Program during World War II, mapping Southern California's coastal range. After the war he received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1946.
Spaulding was an educator and anthropologist. He was an Instructor, then an Assistant Professor and Assistant Curator at Kansas University from 1946 to 1947. He then became a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Michigan. He went on to teach at several other universities including the University of Oregon and the University of California at Santa Barbara.
In 1961, Spaulding became the Director of Anthropology at the National Science Foundation. Here he laid claim to the beginning of anthropology and all social sciences being regarded as true sciences. After a series of moves between such notable institutions as the University of Oregon and Yale University, he settled down until retirement at the University of California Santa Barbara as the Dean of the College of Letters and Science.
Spaulding's fame is a direct result of the way he presented himself and his theories in the field of archaeology. He established the use of quantitative methods as a necessary tool in archaeological work. He maintained the use of quantitative tools with increased precision which were vital to scientific research. His endless pursuit of perfection not only from himself but from those who worked with him, earned him great respect from not only his colleagues but the entire field of archeologists. After over 50 years of fieldwork, lab, discussion forum, and class, Albert C. Spaulding died while vigorously battling cancer in 1990.
Two of Spaulding's writings include Archaeological Investigations on Agattu, Aleutian Islands and The Arzberger Site. Both of these were simply scientific reports about the Aleutian Islands, and the Arzberger Site. To this day, Spaulding's developments in archeological research shape the thoughts and actions of modern day researchers throughout the social science family. His legacy continues through each and every person who came in contact with him, and those who have come to know his work. Albert C. Spaulding was a pioneer for all who are or will become archeologists.
Who's Who in America 1977-1978,1978 by Marquis Who's Who, Inc.
Archaeological Investigations on Agattu, Aleutian Islands, By A.C. Spaulding, 1962, Cushing-Malloy, Inc.
The Arzberger Site, by A.C. Spaulding, 1956, Cushing-Malloy, Inc.
Written by students in an Introduction to Anthropology course at MSU-Mankato