Luis Kemnitzer

Luis Stowell[1] Kemnitzer (November 13, 1928 in Pasadena, California[2]– February 17, 2006) was an American anthropologist known for his social and political activism.

[7] Kemnitzer began his academic career in the 1940s, studying public health at the University of California, Berkeley, but withdrew to become a brakeman on the Southern Pacific Railroad.

[2] In the 1960s, he earned his doctorate in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania,[4] after writing a dissertation based on his experiences living among the Oglala Lakota on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

[8] His published research included studies of syncretism among the Lakota;[9] railroad workers' time perception;[10] and needle exchange programmes.

[11] As an activist, Kemnitzer helped establish the first needle exchange programme in San Francisco's Tenderloin district;[4] and attempted to distribute condoms to Bohemian Grove attendees.