Personal Life
Newell was born in Chicago, Illinois to Virgil Bingham and Nellie Newell. Shortly after he was born his family moved to Kansas. Newell's father encouraged his early interest in geology from an young age, often taking him to fossil deposits located in Kansas and Colorado. In 1929 at the age of 20 Newell received B.S. degree from the University of Kansas, and his M.A. degree in 1931. He received his Ph.D. in geology from Yale University in 1933, where he was mentored by Charles Schuchert and Carl Dunbar.
Newell was twice married. His first marriage was to Valerie Zirkle on February 25, 1928. Newell married Zirkle while an undergraduate at the University of Kansas. Valerie Zirkle died in 1972. His second marriage was to Gillian W. Wormall on April 28, 1973. Wormall was a co-worker of Newell's at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
He was also a talented saxophone player, and played in Jazz bands to earn money through college. He briefly considered a career as a musician, but his intellectual interests moved him in a different direction.
Newell died at his home in Leonia, New Jersey on April 18, 2005 at the age of 96.
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