James McKeen Cattell and the Invention of Academic Quality Ratings, 1903–1910

Although James McKeen Cattell, the eminent early psychologist, has been the subject of a fair amount of scholarship, it has never been acknowledged that he “invented” the academic quality ranking. This article examines the three strains in Cattell’s psychological research that led to his invention of such rankings. The role played by his reference book American Men of Science is discussed; the evolution of his own ideas about his data on the academic origins and current employment of distinguished scientists is traced; the works of some later scholars who were influenced by Cattell are considered; and, an explanation of why Cattell’s influence has declined in recent years is given.