Smiley Blanton (1882-1966) biographical file

Collection

Identifier: EBL-0278

Staff Only

Abstract

Biographical file includes photographs, family correspondence, an obituary, a scholarly article by Blanton, a Blanton manuscripts collection guide (collection is housed by the University of Tennessee), and other biographical data.

Dates

1940 - 1972

Notes about Access to this Collection

All collections are subject to applicable VUMC privacy and confidentiality policies.

Reproduction Rights

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Historical or Biographical Note

Dr. Smiley Blanton was born in Unionville, Tennessee, in 1882. He graduated with his B.S. from Vanderbilt in 1904, did graduate work at Harvard University, and received his M.D. degree from Cornell University College of Medicine in 1914.

In 1943, Blanton returned to Vanderbilt to become associate professor of clinical psychology. He remained at VU for three years, and during that time he did important work in the Department of Surgery on psychiatric factors in surgical problems. Dr. Blanton co-founded the American Foundation of Religion and Psychiatry. He also worked with esteemed analyst Sigmund Freud and was instrumental in aiding Freud's escape from Nazi persecution just prior to World War II. Blanton authored and co-authored numerous publications on religion-psychiatric studies.