Name Mulford Sibley Role Author | ||
 | ||
Died 1989, Minnesota, United States Books Political ideas and ideologies, Conscription of conscience | ||
Education University of Minnesota | ||
Mulford Quickert Sibley (1912–1989) was a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota.
He was a controversial figure because he advocated positions such as socialism and pacifism at a time (the McCarthy era of the 1950s) when these were highly unpopular. A prolific author and essayist, Sibley wrote extensively on pacifism, utopianism, and civil disobedience. A collection of his papers at the Minnesota Historical Society includes correspondence, literary works, and teaching materials. Both in his classes and at political rallies, Sibley often spoke out against the Vietnam War. The University of Minnesota retains an inventory of the Sibley papers.
Anecdotes
"I'd seen political science professor Mulford Q. Sibley make quite a splash at the University of Minnesota when he gave his lectures in a huge barn. One day he’d be Plato, another day, someone else. Seventeen hundred people would show up to those lectures!"Humanities: The Magazine of the National Endowment of the Humanities. Retrieved 2-4-2017.
Garrison Keillor picked up the habit of wearing red socks from Sibley.
In his autobiography, baseball star Dave Winfield mentions professor Sibley as having an influence on his life.
In the late 60's Sibley was a visiting professor at Harpur College, SUNY Binghamton.