Lillian Moller Gilbreth,BA MA Ph.D , (May 24, 1878 - January 2, 1972) was one of the first working female engineers holding a Ph.D. She is arguably the first true industrial/organizational psychologist. She and her husband Frank Bunker Gilbreth were pioneers in the field of industrial engineering. Their interest in time studies, etc. may have had something to do with the fact that they had an extremely large family. The books Cheaper By The Dozen and Belles on Their Toes are the story of their family life... and they did indeed have twelve children. In 1984, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp in her honor. She is considered "The First Lady of Engineering" and was the first woman elected into the National Academy of Engineering. She was the recipient of 22 honorary degrees and was a professor at Purdue University, The Newark College of Engineering and the University of Wisconsin. She served as an advisor to Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson on matters of civil defense, war production and rehabilitation of the physically handicapped. She and husband Frank have a permanent exhibit in The Smithsonian National Museum of American History and her portrait hangs in the National Portrait Gallery.

Birth

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She was born as Lillian Evelyn Moller on May 24, 1878 in Oakland, California.

Education

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She graduated from the University of California with a BA and MA and went on to earn a Ph.D from Brown University. She also received 22 honorary degrees from schools such as Princeton University, Brown University and the University of Michigan.

Marriage

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Lillian married Frank Bunker Gilbreth (1868-1924) in 1904 and they were the parents of twelve children, eleven of whom lived to adulthood.Their children are Anne, Mary (died in 1912), Ernestine, Martha, Frank Jr., Bill, Lill, Fred, Dan, Jack, Bob and Jane. Four are still living today.

Gilbreth, Inc.

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Together they were partners in the management consulting firm of Gilbreth, Inc. which performed time and motion studies.

Death

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Lillian died on January 2, 1972 in Phoenix, Arizona.

External links

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References

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• Gilbreth, Lillian, As I Remember: An Autobiography, Engineering & Management Press, 1998, ISBN 0898061865
• Lancaster, Jane, Making Time: Lillian Moller Gilbreth, A Life Beyond "Cheaper by the Dozen", Northeastern University Press, 2004, ISBN 1555536123
• Graham, Laurel D. 1994. "Critical Biography Without Subjects and Objects: An Encounter with Dr. Lillian Moller Gilbreth," The Sociological Quarterly 35:621-643.
• Sullivan, Sherry. 1995. "Management's Unsung Theorist: An Examination of the Works of Lillian M. Gilbreth," Biography 18: 31-41.
• Yost, Edna. 1943. "Lillian Moller Gilbreth," in American Women in Science. Philadelphia: Frederick A. Stokes.
• Lancaster, Jane. "O Pioneer," Brown Alumni Monthly 96(5) February 1996. Biography
• Biography
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Gilbreth

1878 births | 1972 deaths | American industrial engineers

Lillian Moller Gilbreth