Alexander Meiklejohn was born in England in 1872, and brought to the United States in 1880 at the age of eight. He was educated in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and graduated from Brown University in 1893. He took his M.A. at Brown and in 1897, received his doctorate in philosophy from Cornell University. He taught philosophy and metaphysics at Brown and was dean from 1901 to 1912. He became president of Amherst College in 1912 and served until 1924. After Amherst he went to the University of Wisconsin to teach philosophy and while there, established an experimental college. He retired in 1938. Meiklejohn died in 1964 at the age of 92.