In Memoriam: Leo Bogart, 1921-2005

Leo Bogart, who died Oct 15, 2005, in New York City, called himself an "applied sociologist" because he spent his career in marketing rather than academic research. But his contributions to knowledge filled 14 books, three of them published after he turned 80. Born in Lvov, Poland, he moved with his family to New York at the age of 2. He was a high school newspaper editor in Brooklyn when he found out about public opinion research. Bogart also edited the student paper at Brooklyn College, graduating just in time for World War II. Turning to commercial applications of his research skills, he was hired as a public opinion analyst for Standard Oil of New Jersey, today part of ExxonMobil. His most acclaimed contribution to the newspaper business came shortly afterward. Bogart solved the problem with his "read yesterday" survey question to estimate average daily readership. Bogart was always conscious of the cultural differences between academic and commercial research.