Langdon, Frank, May 19-20, 1981

Frank Langdon (1919 - February 22, 2006) was a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy during the Second World War, as well as a professor, author, and scholar. He was born in Grange, IL and went on to receive his BA in economics from Harvard. During his time at Harvard, he took Japanese classes and participated in their naval training program. Langdon graduated in 1941 and soon after was called in for duty to be trained as a Communications Officer. He spent three and a half years as a communications officer in the Pacific area during the war. He then served in Japan between 1946 and 1947 as a translator and economic analyst at the General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander (GHQ). In 1947, he returned to Harvard to get his MA in China Studies, and then in 1949 he pursued his PhD in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. After that he taught in South Korea, Guam and Japan through the University of California and later in Canberra, Australia. In 1958, he began teaching Japanese Government and Politics at the University of British Columbia up until his death at 86 years old.