Richard Lewontin

American evolutionary biologist and mathematician (1929–2021)
Person human Q659265
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Richard Lewontin

Summary

Richard Lewontin is a human[1]. His place of birth was New York City[2]. He was born on March 29, 1929[3]. He passed away in Cambridge[4]. He died on July 4, 2021[5]. He worked as a mathematician[6], biologist[7], geneticist[8], university teacher[9], and zoologist[10]. He ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (685 views/month, #7,166 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Richard Lewontin's place of birth was New York City[2].
  • Richard Lewontin passed away in Cambridge[4].
  • Richard Lewontin was born on March 29, 1929[3].
  • Richard Lewontin died on July 4, 2021[5].
  • Richard Lewontin held citizenship in United States[12].
  • English was Richard Lewontin's native language[13].
  • Richard Lewontin worked as a mathematician[6].
  • Richard Lewontin worked as a biologist[7].
  • Richard Lewontin's professions included geneticist[8].
  • Richard Lewontin's professions included university teacher[9].
  • Richard Lewontin's professions included zoologist[10].
  • Richard Lewontin's field of work was genetics[14].
  • Richard Lewontin's field of work was evolutionary biology[15].
  • Richard Lewontin's field of work was sociobiology[16].
  • Richard Lewontin's field of work was mathematics[17].
  • Richard Lewontin was employed by Harvard University[18].
  • Among Richard Lewontin's employers was University of Rochester[19].
  • Among Richard Lewontin's employers was University of Chicago[20].
  • Among Richard Lewontin's employers was Santa Fe Institute[21].
  • Richard Lewontin was employed by North Carolina State University[22].
  • Richard Lewontin was educated at Harvard University[23].
  • Richard Lewontin's education included a stint at Columbia University[24].
  • Richard Lewontin was educated at Harvard College[25].
  • Richard Lewontin's doctoral advisor was Theodosius Dobzhansky[26].
  • A notable work attributed to Richard Lewontin is Molecules and Minds: Essays on Biology and the Social Order[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Richard Lewontin's place of birth was New York City[2]. He was born on March 29, 1929[3]. English was his native language[13].

Education

Educated at Harvard University[23], a private university[28], in United States[29], founded in 1636[30], headquartered in Cambridge[31]; Columbia University[24], a private university[32], in United States[33], founded in 1754[34], headquartered in Manhattan[35]; and Harvard College[25], a college[36], in United States[37], founded in 1636[38]. Richard Lewontin's doctoral advisor was Theodosius Dobzhansky[26].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include mathematician[6], biologist[7], geneticist[8], university teacher[9], and zoologist[10]. Fields of work include genetics[14], a science[39], founded in 1900[40]; evolutionary biology[15], a field of study[41]; sociobiology[16], an academic discipline[42]; and mathematics[17], an academic discipline[43]. Employers include Harvard University[18], a private university[44], in United States[45], founded in 1636[46], headquartered in Cambridge[47]; University of Rochester[19], a university[48], in United States[49], founded in 1850[50], headquartered in Rochester[51]; University of Chicago[20], a private university[52], in United States[53], founded in 1890[54], headquartered in Chicago[55]; Santa Fe Institute[21], a research institute[56], in United States[57], founded in 1984[58], headquartered in Santa Fe[59]; and North Carolina State University[22], a public research university[60], in United States[61], founded in 1887[62], headquartered in Raleigh[63]. Doctoral students include Joseph Felsenstein[64], Jerry Coyne[65], Martin Kreitman[66], Russell Lande[67], Michael P. Cummings[68], and Hamish Spencer[69].

Works and Contributions

A notable work attributed to Richard Lewontin is Molecules and Minds: Essays on Biology and the Social Order[27].

Recognition

Awards received include Guggenheim Fellowship[70], a fellowship grant[71], in United States[72], founded in 1925[73]; honorary doctorate from the University of Paris-VII[74], an award[75], in France[76]; ASN Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Conceptual Unification of the Biological Sciences[77], a science award[78], in United States[79], founded in 1991[80]; Crafoord Prize in Biosciences[81], a science award[82]; and Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal[83], a biology award[84], in United States[85], founded in 1981[86].

Death and Burial

Richard Lewontin died on July 4, 2021[5]. He passed away in Cambridge[4].

Why It Matters

Richard Lewontin ranks in the top 0.72% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (685 views/month, #7,166 of 1,000,298).[11] He has Wikipedia articles in 17 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[87] He is known by 25 alternative names across languages and contexts.[88]

He has been cited as an influence by William C. Wimsatt[89], a philosopher[90], b. 1941[91], of United States[92].

Works attributed to him include The spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian paradigm: a critique of the adaptationist programme[93], a scholarly article[94], written by Stephen Jay Gould[95].

His notable doctoral advisees include Jerry Coyne[96], a biologist[97], b. 1949[98], of United States[99], awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship[100], specialised in ecology[101] and Joseph Felsenstein[102], a university teacher[103], b. 1942[104], of United States[105], awarded the Darwin–Wallace Medal[106], specialised in phylogenetics[107].

FAQs

Where was Richard Lewontin born?

Richard Lewontin was born in New York City[2].

Where did Richard Lewontin die?

Richard Lewontin passed away in Cambridge[4].

What did Richard Lewontin do for work?

Richard Lewontin worked as mathematician[6], biologist[7], geneticist[8], university teacher[9], and zoologist[10].

Where did Richard Lewontin go to school?

Richard Lewontin was educated at Harvard University[23], Columbia University[24], and Harvard College[25].

What awards did Richard Lewontin receive?

Honors received include Guggenheim Fellowship[70], honorary doctorate from the University of Paris-VII[74], ASN Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Conceptual Unification of the Biological Sciences[77], and Crafoord Prize in Biosciences[81].

Who did Richard Lewontin influence?

Richard Lewontin has been cited as an influence by William C. Wimsatt[89].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

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Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

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  3. [96] . wikidata.org. → on this site
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Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [87] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [88] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Richard Lewontin. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/richard-lewontin
MLA “Richard Lewontin.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/richard-lewontin.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_richard-lewontin_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Richard Lewontin}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/richard-lewontin}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 21h ago · Susmuffin · 2026-09-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Harper's tag richard-c-lewontin
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ [[Property:P13772]]: richard-c-lewontin, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/289963527|richard c lewontin (#289963527)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7915|H"
  2. 12w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id p0007423-Lewontin-Richard-C-19292021
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P9322]]: p0007423-Lewontin-Richard-C-19292021, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259497|batch #259497]]"
  3. 15w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-21 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation mathematician, biologist, geneticist +2
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32149|batch #32149]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (33)"
  4. 16w ago · Bargioni · 2026-05-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Native language English
    Educated at
    Country of citizenship United States
    Languages spoken, written or signed English
    + 28 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30468|batch #30468]]: add P1810 to P5739 2/3"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.