Woodbridge, Frederick James Eugene, 1867-1940, American philosopher, b. Windsor, Ont., grad. Amherst, 1889, and Union Theological Seminary, 1892, and studied (1892-94) at the Univ. of Berlin. He taught philosophy at the Univ. of Minnesota (1894-1902) and at Columbia (1902-37), where he was dean of the faculties of political science, philosophy, pure science, and fine arts (1912-29). He was editor of Archives of Philosophy and the Journal of Philosophy, Psychology, and Scientific Methods. Among his many books are The Purpose of History (1916), The Realm of Mind (1926), Nature and Mind (1937), and An Essay on Nature (1940), which sums up his philosophy that "Nature is the domain in which both knowledge and happiness are pursued." He had great influence as a teacher.

Frederick James Eugene Woodbridge (1867-1940) A teacher at various American universities. Woodbridge considered himself a naive realist, deeply impressed with Santayana. He spent much of his career at Columbia University, where a residence hall and a professorship in philosophy are named in his honor.

Selected works

• The Purpose of History (1916)
• The Realm of Mind (1926)