Louis Dunton Hartson was born in Anamosa, Iowa on November 24, 1885 to Dewitt W. Hartson and Mary Dunton Hartson. Dr. Hartson married Mary Reed in Payette Iowa on June 24, 1914. Their three children, Dorothy Helen, Robert Reed (b. 12 Aug. 1920, OC '42), and Mary Elizabeth (b. 4 Feb. 1922, OC '43), were born in Grinnell, Iowa.

He received a Ph.B. from Grinnell College in 1908, the Pd.M. from New York University in 1909, and a Ph.D. in psychology from Clark University in 1911. Upon completion of his doctoral studies, he returned to teach Psychology at Grinnell, where he taught from 1911 to 1923.

Hartson joined the Oberlin College Faculty in the fall of 1923. (He replaced E.S. Jones.) There he moved up the professorial ranks, being named full professor in 1927. He served as Psychology Department Chairman from 1939 until 1952, when he retired from Oberlin College. The five-person psychology department was recognized as one of the largest in the U.S. devoted to full-time teaching of undergraduates. During his years at Oberlin, Hartson was also visiting professor at the Institute of Psychology in Vienna, 1932-1933. After his Oberlin retirement, Dr. Hartson taught at Ohio State University from 1952 to 1954.

Dr. Hartson's main area of interest in his discipline was the development and administration of intelligence tests. He worked with or was a student of Stanley Hall, James McKeen Cattel, Woodworth, Dewey, Thorndike, Pressey, and others. He and his colleagues are credited with determining the course of an independent American psychological thought. Dr. Hartson published many articles and was known for his generosity and counsel to his students. Of special interest is Hartson's written pieces pertaining to Oberlin College students and its alumni/ae on a variety of subjects, such as on the occupations of Oberlin alumnae and on the rating of candidates of admission. Titles from the Oberlin Alumni Magazine include German Psychologists and "Nationalsocialismus", Vol. XXXI:2, p. 47; Current Trends in Vocational Guidance, Vol. XXXI: 8, p. 232; and articles appeared in the Oberlin Alumni Catalogue (1926), the Oberlin Alumni Magazine, 1926, 1927, Bulletin of Ohio Coll., Assoc., 1928, and a number of others.

In 1958, following four years as chairman (temporary) of the Psychology Department at Gustavus Adolphus College, he returned to Oberlin to compile and edit the Oberlin Alumni Register. It was the first source to list all Oberlin Students, regardless of graduation status. This 888-page volume, which was published in 1960, was completed as part of Oberlin's 125th anniversary celebration. For this and other services to Oberlin, Dr. Hartson received the Alumni Award in 1970.

He was a long time member and past president of the Oberlin City Club and a member of First Church in Oberlin. He also sang baritone solos for the church choir, as well as for Musical Union. Although Hartson was an Independent in his politics, he was known for always presenting a fair representation of the issues before the community or nation.

Louis D. Hartson died on December 4, 1977 at Welcome Nursing Home in Oberlin. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Reed, in 1971 and his daughter Dorothy. He was survived by his daughter Mary Elizabeth, OC '43, and his son Robert Reed, OC '42, as well as six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He asked that his body be donated to the Case Western Reserve University Medical School for research.

Hartson was a member or fellow of a number of professional associations. They were: American Psychological Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Ohio Academy of Science, Personnel Research Federation, and the Society of College Teachers of Education.