August 22, 1903 - July 4, 1984
John Charnley McKinley
November 8, 1891 - January 3, 1950
I. History and Development of the Test
a. Biographical Data of the Developer
Starke Rosecrans Hathaway, B.A. (1927) Ohio University, M.A. (1928) Ohio State University, Ph.D. (1932) University of Minnesota.Director of the division of clinical psychology at the University of Minnesota, co-creator of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).
Starke Hathaway was born on August 22, 1903 in Central Lake, Michigan. He graduated from Ohio University with a bachelor's degree in 1927, and a master’s degree in psychology and statistics in 1928 from the Ohio State University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in psychology and anatomy in 1932.
Hathaway was appointed as lecturer in psychology (1930-1937), assistant professor (1937-1940), associate professor (1940-1947), and professor (1947-1970). He held the position of director of the division of clinical psychology with the University of Minnesota medical school from 1951 until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1970. Starke Hathaway died on July 4, 1984.
His early research was in the field of neurophysiology and for many years taught the anatomy department’s course on that subject. Hathaway was best known for his co-development, with J. C. McKinley, of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), a psychological exam that objectively tests for mental illness and abnormal behavior by evaluating a person's personality traits. Development began in 1937, and it was released in 1940. The MMPI is still one of the most widely used personality inventory tests in the fields of psychology and mental health.
Hathaway’s long list of lifetime achievements includes being recipient of the American Psychological Association’s award for Distinguished Contributions for