Richard Hartshorn American geographer, founder of behavioral geography. Date of Birth: 12.12.1899 Country: USA

1. Biography of Richard Hartshorne
2. Early Life and Education
3. Academic Career
4. Contributions to Geography
5. Works

Biography of Richard Hartshorne

Richard Hartshorne (or Hartshorn) was an American geographer and the founder of behavioral geography. He was born on December 12, 1899, in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, and passed away on November 5, 1992, in Madison, Wisconsin.

Early Life and Education

Hartshorne was born in the town of Kittanning, Pennsylvania. He was the younger brother of American religious philosopher Charles Hartshorne (1897-2000). He attended Princeton University, where he graduated in 1920, and later obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Chicago in 1924.

Academic Career

Hartshorne served as a professor at the University of Minnesota from 1924 to 1940 and at the University of Wisconsin from 1940 to 1970, with a break during the war. In 1949, he was elected as the president of the Association of American Geographers.

Contributions to Geography

Hartshorne was a prominent representative of the chorological school and believed that geography was a unified science whose task was to describe the "territorial differentiation of the Earth's surface" and accumulate factual material. He attached particular importance to the study of traditions and customs of populations in different territories and the behavior of their inhabitants. He considered them closely interconnected with other natural and socio-economic phenomena characteristic of a specific territory. He opposed the use of analytical methods, viewing them as a detachment from geographic reality. Hartshorne made significant contributions to the development of political geography, explaining voter behavior and other related topics, as well as cultural geography, particularly in defining cultural landscapes.

Works

Some of Hartshorne's notable works include "Recent Developments in Political Geography, I" published in The American Political Science Review in 1935, and "The Nature of Geography" (1939) and "Perspective on the Nature of Geography" (1959).

During the 1950s, Hartshorne's views were criticized by representatives of the spatial analysis school, including Fred Schaffer and William Bunge.