Lester Frank Ward

Lester Frank Ward was an American botanist, paleontologist, and sociologist. The first president of the American Sociological Association, James Q. Dealey characterized Ward as a "great pioneer" in the development of American sociology, with contemporaries referring to him as "the Nestor of American sociologists," His 1883 work Dynamic Sociology was influential in establishing sociology as a distinct field in the United States. Despite its initial impact his work was sidelined during the later institutionalization and development of American sociology.