Pioneer Psychiatrist, Author. He was one of the founders of The Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, which is one of the world's most renowned psychiatric clinics. Born the youngest son of a physician, his family had several physicians, including one of his two brothers, who pioneered in the methods of psychiatric treatment in the 20th century. Since psychiatric medicine was not a specialty during this era, all were general practicians. After graduating from Washburn University in 1919, he entered the Cornell University College of Medicine, graduating in 1924. Although initially wanting to study internal medicine, in 1924 he began a two-year internship at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, before studying psychiatry at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C. in 1927. The same year, he joined his older brother and father as a partner in their medical firm, practicing psychiatry. He presented a paper to the American Psychiatric Association in 1937. Over time, he developed the team approach to managing a patient's care, which involved the main psychiatrist, the nurses, activity therapists and caregivers. He is known as one of the key influences in the development of a psychiatric guide, which later became known as the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," which was adopted by the United States Military. Leaving the practice, Menninger served during World War II as neuropsychiatric consultant for the Fourth Service Command, working directly under Army Surgeon General. In 1944 he was appointed head of psychiatry in the Unites States Army. He entered active service as a lieutenant colonel in 1942, rose to the rank of Brigadier General, Medical Corps by October of 1945, and was released from active service on June 27, 1946. After World War II, he was instrumental, with the collaboration of the Veterans Administration, the Winter VA Hospital, which became a training facility for medical students of psychiatry. This is one of the largest hospitals of this type in the world. This led to the creation of the Karl Menninger School of Psychiatry. Upon returning to the family's medical partnership, he became the president of the Menninger Foundation. The clinic, sanitarium, and medical school, which the family had established years earlier, became to be known as The Menninger Foundation in 1941, as a non-profit organization and offering a variety of mental health services and programs for both adults and children. His main role in the partnership was fundraiser for The Menninger Foundation, thus he was not on the medical campus in Topeka, but traveling most of the time. He published several textbooks including "Psychiatry in a Troubled World" and "You and Psychiatry" both in 1948, "How to be a Successful Teenager" in 1954, "Social Change and Scientific Progress" in 1951 and "Juvenile Paresis" in 1936. He served the Foundation until his death. His two sons, one a physician and the other a business major, became active in managing The Menninger Foundation. The Kansas Historical Society has archived his professional papers.