How Old Was Margaret Mead when She Died?

Margaret Mead lived to almost 77 years of age.

Famous cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead had a full and productive career before dying of pancreatic cancer in 1978, shortly before her 77th birthday.

Margaret Mead's Life

Now that you know how old Margaret Mead was when she died, you might also want to know a little bit more about her life:

• Margaret Mead was born in Philadelphia in 1901.
• Her early life involved self-exploration and a search for religious expression; she eventually settled on the Episcopalian Church, and was a respected and prominent member for the duration of her life.
• Mead was very well known for her work; aside from completing research, she was also a prolific speaker and writer.
• She received a PhD from Columbia University and served as an executive secretary on the National Research Council’s Committee on Food Habits during World War II.
• She also worked as a curator at the American Museum of Natural History, and as a professor at various East Coast universities.
• She was president of the American Anthropological Association in 1960, and held numerous positions in various other national science organizations.

Margaret Mead's Research

No explanation of Mead's life would be complete without some details on her research:

• Margaret Mead’s research was focused largely on child-rearing and its relation to culture and society.
• Her research and writings were a large part of the cultural revolution of the 1960s era, and she challenged many traditional values and beliefs of the Western world by forcing people to examine their own accepted, unexplored assumptions about topics ranging from sex to religion.

So, now you know how old Margaret Mead was when she died, and you also know details about her accomplishments during her life.