Walter Goodnow Everett was born on August 21, 1860, in Rowe, Massachusetts to Samuel and Alcesta (née Goodnow) Everett. He attended Brown, receiving his A.B. in 1885, his A.M. in 1888, and his Ph.D. in 1895. In 1895 and 1896, he studied at the Universities of Berlin and Strasbourg.[1][2]
Everett served as head of the philosophy department at Brown from 1896 to 1930, and as acting university president while President William H. P. Faunce made a trip around the world in 1912–13
His daughter Helen (1892-1982) married Alexander Meiklejohn and collaborated with him on writing projects.