Benjamin Spock

Benjamin McLane Spock (1903–1998) was an American pediatrician best known for authoring The Commonsense Book of Baby and Child Care (1946), one of the best-selling books of the 20th century with over 50 million copies sold worldwide. He revolutionized child-rearing by emphasizing children's emotional needs and psychological well-being, countering the rigid pediatric doctrines of his era. In his later years, Spock became a prominent political activist, opposing the Vietnam War and nuclear proliferation, and ran for U.S. President as the People's Party nominee in 1972.