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Alex Faickney Osborn
Overview
Alex Faickney Osborn (1888–1966) was an American advertising executive, author, and creativity theorist best known for coining the term “brainstorming” and developing the brainstorming technique for group creative problem-solving. He co-founded the advertising agency Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BBDO) in 1928, one of the most influential agencies in American advertising history. Osborn graduated from Hamilton College with the Class of 1909 and served as editor-in-chief of Hamilton Life in his senior year (1908–09).
Relevance to Research
Osborn’s Hamilton Life editorship in 1908–09 places him at the founding moment of the 1908–1942 Hamilton Life corpus — he was EIC in the first year of the archive’s second major run. His subsequent career in advertising and creativity theory makes him one of Hamilton’s most commercially and intellectually influential alumni of the 20th century. The term “brainstorming” — which he coined in Applied Imagination (1953) — entered the global lexicon from a Hamilton alumnus.
Notes
Role: Hamilton College alumnus, Class of 1909; Hamilton Life editor-in-chief, 1908–09 Key events: - Born 24 May 1888 in New York City - Enrolled at Hamilton College; graduated A.B. 1909 - Editor-in-chief of Hamilton Life in his senior year (1908–09) — the opening year of the 1908–1942 archive run - Classmate of Alexander Woollcott ‘09 (future drama critic and radio personality) - Career in Buffalo, NY journalism and advertising after graduation - Co-founded advertising agency Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BBDO), 1928 - BBDO became one of the largest and most influential agencies in U.S. advertising - Coined the term “brainstorming” and developed group creative problem-solving methodology - Published Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Problem-Solving (1953), introducing brainstorming to a wide audience - Also published Your Creative Power (1948) and Wake Up Your Mind (1952) - Co-founded the Creative Education Foundation (Buffalo, NY) - Died 4 May 1966 in Buffalo, New York