Franz Boas, the major founding figure of anthropology as a discipline in the United States, came to America from Germany in 1886. The extent of his influence on anthropology, and other fields, can not be overstated.George W. Stocking, Jr., is the Stein-Freiler Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Committee on the Conceptual Foundations of Science at the University of Chicago. He is editor of the History of Anthropology series published by the University of Wisconsin Press.