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Hutchins Hapgood is most notable for his series of sentimental journalistic explorations into the world of labor unionists, anarchists, free love advocates, bohemians, and immigrants, among other nonconformist “types from city streets.” Born in Chicago on 21 May 1869 to a progressive and industrious Victorian family, “Hutch,” as he was known, exhibited nervousness, sensitivity, and alienation throughout his childhood, traits that persisted throughout his life and were later reflected in his work. Hapgood attended Harvard University from 1889 to 1892 and was strongly influenced by the unorthodox moral philosophies of Professors William James and George Santayana. After completing his master's degree in English at Harvard in 1897, he continued his studies at the University of Berlin. There he took seminars with the eminent sociologist Georg Simmel, whose work on “wanderers” and “strangers” probably informed much of Hapgood's social philosophy. Hapgood taught English at the University of Chicago, but soon relinquished his academic career in favor of journalism, a vocation he felt was more suitable to his roaming temperament than the narrow pursuits of academe.