George Nelson (1908-1986)
George Nelson was considered, along with Charles and Ray Eames, to be one of the founding fathers of American modernism. He studied architecture at Yale University, where he graduated in 1928. During the 1930s, he traveled through Europe, based in Rome. A few years later, he returned to the United States and devoted himself to writing. By the 1940s, George Nelson was credited with several innovative concepts, including his introduction of the concept of the "family room." In 1945 he became Herman Miller's design director, which led to collaborations with Charles and Ray Eames and Isamu Noguchi among others.