Thorstein Veblen was born on July 30, 1857 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He was of Norwegian heritage and until the day he died, he spoke with a strong accent. His family lived in Wisconsin for the early part of his life, but then moved to a farmstead in Minnesota. He attended Carleton College, and graduated with a bachelor of arts(B.A.) In 1880. Soon after he continued his education and graduated with a P.hD in philosophy form Yale University in 1884. Once he had accomplished this, his heart was set on teaching. He was unable to acquire and secure a position. This upset him, and discouraged from further advancement in his field, he moved back to his father's farm in Minnesota, until he continued his academic career 12 years later. While in Minnesota, Veblen read a tremendous amount, and in 1888, he married Ellen Rolfe. She was the niece of the president at Carleton College. In 1891, he returned to school at Cornell University and by 1892 he was offered a position as an assistant-professor, teaching political economy at the newly founded University of Chicago. While teaching at the university he was the founder and editor of the "Journal of Political Economy" from 1892-1905. He gained much respect with the essays he wrote during this time period. But in 1906 his personal affairs interfered with his work, and the university dismissed him after a extramarital affair. Soon after he began teaching again at Stanford University. After three years yet again he was expelled for personal reasons. He divorced his first wife by 1911 .
Intending to integrate political economy into the general movement of science, Veblen discussed the evolution of the scientific point of view, the place of science within the framework of civilization, and the function of evolution within political economy. Although Veblen was strongly impressed by the doctrine of evolution, he was opposed to the simple application of the evolutionary principles to the study of social development.