Archives West Finding Aid

Otto Nyholm Larsen (1922-2007) received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Washington, Department of Sociology in 1955. He began an appointment as an Assistant Professor of Sociology in 1955, was promoted to Associate Professor in 1958, and eventually served as Chair of the Department from 1971-1972. His early work involved extensive research on collective delusion, (most notably the 1954 Seattle windshield pitting epidemic) but later focused on mass communication, media, and violence. In 1968 Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Larsen to the President's Commission on Obscenity and Pornography. The resulting 1970 report recommended sex education, funding of research into the effects of pornography, and restriction of children's access to pornography, but advised against restrictions for adults. The report found no evidence that exposure to such material was harmful to individuals, and that current legal and policy initiatives were more likely to create problems than solve them. The report was widely criticized and rejected by Congress. While speaking during the public hearings in 1970, Larsen became the first public figure to receive a pie in the face from a protestor.

Larsen served a three-year term in Washington D.C. as executive officer of the American Sociological Association from 1972-1975. He was later involved with the National Science Foundation as the Director of the Division of Social and Economic Sciences (1980-1982) and Senior Associate for Social and Behavioral Science (1983-1986). His advocacy was instrumental in persuading Congress to continue funding the social sciences during a time when it was determined to eliminate support for "soft" sciences.

Larsen retired in 1986 and continued as an Emeritus Professor until his death in 2007.

Source: University of Washington, Department of Sociology, biographical file in collection, Box 7.