Category: Harvard

Harvard. Economics Ph.D. Established. Degree requirements as of 1904-05

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2025-04-21
No Comments on Harvard. Economics Ph.D. Established. Degree requirements as of 1904-05

While there were not a few Ph.D. degrees awarded at Harvard nominally in political science at the turn of the 20th century that were in fact Ph.D. degrees in economics, starting with the academic year 1904-05 the economics Ph.D. degree became officially separated from the Ph.D. in political science “in accordance with the general practice of universities”. It would take another couple of decades for a Ph.D. in sociology to split off from the Ph.D. in economics, but that is a story for another post.

In this post I have transcribed the cover memo submitted by a committee of the Division of History, Government, and Economics that recommended the establishment of a distinct economics Ph.D. This memo is followed by the explicit requirements to be satisfied by candidates for the Ph.D. in economics at Harvard as of 1904-05. Links to the rules and regulations from other years have been included as well.

_________________________

Previously transcribed requirements for the Ph.D. in Harvard University’s Division of History, Government, and Economics

Degree Requirements for 1897-98.
Full 1897-98 Division Announcement
Degree Requirements for 1911-12.
Degree Requirements for 1921-22
Degree Requirements for 1934-35.
Degree Requirements from 1947.
Degree Requirements from 1958.
Degree Regulations from 1968.

_________________________

Members of the Committee to Review the Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

Chairman Charles H. Haskins, Professor of History
Albert Bushnell Hart, Professor of History
Abbott Lawrence Lowell, Eaton Professor of the Science of Government.
William Zebina Ripley, Professor of Political Economy and Chairman of the Department of Political Economy
William Frank Taussig, Henry Lee Professor of Economics

_________________________

HARVARD UNIVERSITY.

Cambridge, Mass., March 5, 1904.

To the Division of History and Political Science: —

The Committee of the Division of History and Political Science appointed to consider the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy submits herewith its report in the form of a revised statement of the regulations governing the degree. No fundamental changes have been made, nor has it been the purpose of the committee to make the attainment of the degree materially harder or easier than at present. The changes proposed arise partly from the necessity of giving fuller recognition to the instruction now offered in economics and government, and partly from the attempt to correct certain tendencies which have appeared in connection with the general examination.

It is the opinion of the committee that the time has come for distinguishing the degrees offered to the student of economics and the student of government, in accordance with the general practice of universities; and the establishment of the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics is accordingly recommended. A list of subjects suitable for candidates in economics has been drawn up, and the list in political science has been revised and expanded. Unimportant changes are also suggested in the list of subjects in history.

It seems to have been the original intention, of the Division that the general examination should come comparatively early in the course of the candidate’s studies and should serve not only as a guarantee of comprehensive study but also as a sort of “qualifying round,” a test of general eligibility for the subsequent study for the degree. In practice the general examination has become the principal examination, the tendency being more and more evident for students to postpone this examination to the third or even the fourth year of study and to put off further preparation for the doctorate until after this examination. The result is that for most students the greater part of their graduate study is a continuous and avowed cram for the general examination. Their choice of courses and reading is determined by this, and many take no seminary or research courses and get no start in independent work before their last year of study. The committee believes that the general examination should come earlier, so that the weak may be discouraged before they have gone too far, and the strong may be ready as soon as possible to work freely and independently. It is not easy to suggest any legislation which can be trusted to accomplish this end, but the proposed reduction in the number of subjects from seven to six and the allowance suggested for honors at graduation ought to have some influence in this direction. More, however, will depend on the spirit in which the general examination is conducted.

On the other hand there is a constant tendency to narrow unduly the field for the special examination, and the committee recommends that the special field be not less in extent than one of the subjects offered for the general examination. If the period between the general and the special examination be lengthened, it will not be unreasonable to expect somewhat better preparation for the special examination.

The requirement of a reading knowledge of French and German has existed on paper only; it is proposed that each candidate shall satisfy the Division on this point by a special examination or otherwise.

This statement has been drawn up for the convenience of the Division by the chairman of the committee: the report has the approval of the whole committee, consisting of Messrs. Hart, Lovell, Ripley, Taussig, and Haskins.

Charles H. Haskins, chairman.

Source: Harvard University Archives. Division of History, Government & Economics. PhD. Material through 1917. Box 2, in an unlabeled folder.

_________________________

DEGREE OF PH.D.
[Division requirements, 1904-05]

For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy not less than two years devoted to advanced studies, approved as affording suitable preparation for the degree, are required of graduates of colleges of good standing. This degree is not usually taken in less than three years after the attainment of the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Harvard College, or an equivalent. A graduate of another college may ascertain by writing to the Dean of the Graduate School whether any special conditions will be imposed upon him. In order to be admitted to the degree the candidate must show a general training in the whole field of study, firm grasp of his special subject within the field, and independent research in some portion of that subject. He must present a thesis, showing original treatment or investigation, and must pass such examination or examinations as may be required by the Division. The degree is given on the ground of thorough study and high attainments. Appropriate studies carried on in the Graduate School of any other university may be recognized as a part of the candidate’s preparation for the degree. The minimum period of residence at Harvard University is one year.

The University confers the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History; in Political Science; and in Economics. Candidates for the degree under any of these heads are subject to supervision and examination by the Division of History and Political Science. In order to indicate the grounds on which it is prepared to recommend candidates for the degree, the Division has adopted the following statements and suggestions.

[…]

GENERAL PREPARATION

Every candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is required, at an early stage in his preparation, to submit to the Division, through its chairman, evidence of the extent and quality of his general studies. A command of good English, spoken and written, the ability to make free use of French and German books, and a fair acquaintance with general history are expected in all cases. On the evidence presented, the Division will decide, provisionally, as to the sufficiency of the candidate’s general training. No set examinations will be held at this stage, but the candidate’s ability to use French and German will be specially tested in connection with the general examination described below. Candidates may be required to make up deficiencies by pursuing specified College courses, or in such other way as the Division may designate. The provisional acceptance of a candidate, as regards this portion of his preparation, does not preclude the Division from rejecting him later, if, in the examination on specific subjects, it shall appear that his general education is insufficient.

Candidates must ordinarily pass two examinations: the first general, the second (after the acceptance of the thesis) on a special field, defined in each case by vote of the Division.

I. GENERAL EXAMINATION

The first examination will be held not later than the beginning of the last year of study for the degree, and candidates are recommended to present themselves for this examination in the course of the preceding academic year. The object of this test is to ascertain the applicant’s attainments within a considerable range of subjects in the field of History, Political Science, or Economics. He will ordinarily be examined in six subjects in all, chosen from the groups defined below under the respective departments of study. Candidates are not required, however, to follow the details of these plans. They may present, for the consideration of the Division, reasonable substitutes for any of the topics named, and may offer appropriate combinations of parts of the separate subjects. They are advised in all cases, to submit their plans of study for approval at an early date. In judging of the candidate’s fitness for the degree, regard will be had to the general grasp and maturity shown, as well as to the range and accuracy of his attainments in the specific subjects of examination.

The scope of the general examination may be reduced by one of the three following methods:—

Graduates of Harvard College of distinguished excellence, shown by taking highest honors on oral examination, may by special vote of the Division be excused altogether from this examination.
Graduates of Harvard College of high excellence, shown by taking honors on oral examination, may be excused from examination in not more than three of the six subjects, by a vote of the Division.
Students from other institutions, bringing credentials of high excellence, may on entering the Graduate School submit themselves to a special oral test, similar to the honor examinations, in not more than three of the six subjects.

II. THESIS

The thesis must be in the hands of the Chairman of the Division on or before April 1 of the year in which the degree is sought. It must be accepted as satisfactory before the candidate can be admitted to the final examination. It must show an original treatment of the subject, or give evidence of independent research, and must also be in good literary form and suitable for publication.

III. SPECIAL EXAMINATION

The second examination will be on a single limited subject agreed upon in advance. It is intended that each candidate should have, as far as possible, freedom of choice in selecting his subject, but it is expected that he will submit, for approval, an outline of work to be presented in satisfaction of this requirement. It is desirable that this outline should be submitted a year in advance of the examination. Ordinarily the ground covered by the special examination will not be greater in extent than one of the subjects offered by the candidate at his general examination, and may be identical with one of these subjects. Or the candidate may limit his more special preparation to an approved portion of this field, which will regularly include the period or topic within which the thesis lies. At the final examination, the candidate will be expected to show such a mastery of his special field, and such an acquaintance with the literature, general and special, bearing on it, as would qualify him to give instruction to mature students.

[…]

THE DEGREE OF PH.D. IN ECONOMICS
[1904-05]

GENERAL PREPARATION

Candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics must meet the requirements stated on p. 56. They should also be well grounded in the main outlines of European and American history, and should have had a general view of the nature and growth of political institutions and constitutional law.

GENERAL EXAMINATION

This examination (the general conditions of which are stated on p. 56) will include six subjects, chosen from the following list. Of the six subjects, at least one must be taken from each of the groups A, B, C, and D, the first three of these groups being purely economic, while the fourth, more general in character, is intended to secure a somewhat broader basis of preparation. In all cases at least one of the subjects chosen must be historical in character, either economic history under group B or one of the historical fields defined under Group D

Group A

Economic Theory and its History.

Group B

Economic History to 1750.
Economic History since 1750.
Sociology and Social Reform.
Statistics (Literature, Methods, and Results).

Group C

Money, Banking, and Commercial Crises.
Public Finance and Financial History.
Transportation and Foreign Commerce.
Labor Problems and Industrial Organization.

Group D
Selected topics from one or more of the following fields:—

History of Political Institutions in Mediaeval Europe, including England.
History of Political Institutions since 1500 in Europe, including England.
History of American Institutions.
Modern Government and Comparative Constitutional Law.
Jurisprudence.
Philosophy.
Anthropology

Source: Harvard University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. University Publications, N.S. 129. Division of History and Political Science Comprising the Departments of History & Government and Economics,1904-05 (Cambridge, Mass.: May 16, 1904), pp. 55-58, 61-62.

Image Source: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “Sever Hall, Harvard Univ., Cambridge, Mass.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1898 – 1931. Also see Library of Congress (image dated 1904).

Tags Ripley, Taussig

Harvard Regulations

Harvard. Instructions for PhD General Exam Committee Members, ca. 1915

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2025-04-20
No Comments on Harvard. Instructions for PhD General Exam Committee Members, ca. 1915

Some of the artifacts worth putting into the digital record here at Economics in the Rear-view Mirror are found printed on humble random pieces of paper discovered in files stuck in folders buried in archival boxes.

While there is nothing truly surprising in the following five point instructions to examiners (ca. 1915) in Harvard’s Division of History, Government, and Economics tasked with performing the General Examination of Ph.D. candidates, tablets with explicit commandments were indeed intended by some administrative spirit to guide the practice of such important rituals.

______________________

An Analogous Artifact
from Columbia University

Columbia. Memo on Doctoral Exams in the Faculty of Political Science, 1946

______________________

DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMMITTEES CONDUCTING THE GENERAL EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Special attention is called to the following statements, of which the first forms part of the requirements formulated by the Division for the general examination; while the second, quoted from the requirements in History, expresses (mutatis mutandis) the purpose of the general examination throughout the Division.

In judging of the candidate’s fitness for the degree regard will be had to the general grasp and maturity shown, as well as to the range and accuracy of his attainments in the specific subjects of examination. […]
The object of the examination is to ascertain the applicant’s acquirements within a considerable range of historical knowledge. He will not be expected to show an encyclopaedic command of minute details; but he must give evidence of thorough study, and an understanding of the significance and relations of historical events and institutions within the limits of his field of study.

Each Committee should meet fifteen minutes in advance of the examination, in order that its members may familiarize themselves with the candidate’s record and plan the examination.
An engagement as member of an Examining Committee should have precedence over all other university engagements, and the number of examiners present at any time during the examination should not fall below four.
The Chairman of the Examining Committee is responsible for the general conduct of the examination and shall report in writing to the Chairman of the Division the result and the quality of the examination.
The candidate passes or fails upon the examination as a whole.  Conditions in individual subjects are contrary to the policy of the Division.

Source: Harvard University Archives. Division of History, Government & Economics. PhD. Exams. 1917-18 to 1920-21. Box 3. Printed instructions for the conduct of a General Examination in the Division of History, Government and Economics found in the records of Hebert Knight Dennis who took the General Examination in economics twice May 21, 1915 (not passed) and 29 Feb 1916 (passed).

Image Source: Harvard Square 1915 from Brookline Public Library’s Photograph Collection at Digital Commonwealth (Non-Commercial, Creative Commons license).

Exam Questions Harvard Industrial Organization

Harvard. Economics of Corporations. Final Exam, Course Description, Enrollment. Ripley, 1908-1909

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2025-04-19
No Comments on Harvard. Economics of Corporations. Final Exam, Course Description, Enrollment. Ripley, 1908-1909

Down the line we can expect to have decades worth of field exam questions for Harvard. But between there and here Economics in the Rear-view Mirror needs to continue the unsung work of transcribing the course exams. But it has the virtue of being steady work.

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Other Corporations/Industrial Organization Related Posts
for William Z. Ripley

Problems of Labor and Industrial Organization, 1902-1903.

Economics of Corporations, 1903-1904.

Economics of Corporations, 1904-05 (with Vanderveer Custis)

Economics of Corporations, 1906-07 (with Stuart Daggett)

Economics of Corporations, 1907-08 (with Stuart Daggett)

Economics of Corporations, 1914-1915.

________________________

Course Enrollment
1908-09

Economics 9b ²hf. Professor Ripley, assisted by Mr. [Edmund Thornton] Miller. — Economics of Corporations.

Total 132: 8 Graduates, 35 Seniors, 51 Juniors, 29 Sophomores, 1 Freshman, 8 Others.

Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College, 1908-1909, p. 68.

________________________

Course Description
1908-09

[Economics] 9b ²hf. Economics of Corporations. Half-course (second half-year). Tu., Th., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Sat., at 10. Professor Ripley.

This course will treat of the fiscal and industrial organization of capital, especially in the corporate form. The principal topic considered will be industrial combination and the so-called trust problem. This will be broadly discussed, with comparative study of conditions in the United States and Europe. The development of corporate enterprise, promotion, and financing, accounting, liability of directors and underwriters, will be described, not from their legal but from their purely economic aspects; and the effects of industrial combination upon efficiency, profits, wages, prices, the development of export trade, and international competition will be considered in turn.
The course is open to those students only who have taken Economics 1. Systematic reading and report work will be assigned from time to time.

Source: Official Register of Harvard University, Vol. V, No. 19
(1 June 1908). History and Political Science Comprising the Departments of History and Government, and Economics, 1908-09,
p. 55.

________________________

ECONOMICS 9b
Year-end Examination, 1908-09

Name an eminently successful industrial combination, and an unfortunate one, stating in each case the principal feature of its career.
What has been the principal difficulty in interesting the workmen of the U.S. Steel Corporation in ownership of its stock? What was the leading motive in adoption of the plan?
Describe at least four causes of the financial reorganization of industrial combinations.
What provisions in either the English or German laws regulating corporations would have prevented the financial losses in (a) the U. S. Shipbuilding Co.; (b) the Asphalt Companies Collapse; (c) the American Malting Co.?
What is the lesson of the recent history of the American tin plate industry?
Outline four proposed remedies for the present unsatisfactory situation under the existing Federal law regulating industrial combinations.
What are some of the practical obstacles in the enforcement of the Sherman Act?
What does the balance sheet (see below) show as to the form of organization of the company concerned?
What was the main economic conclusion reached as a result of your thesis work in this course?

ASSETS
Cash	$1,616,114.78
Due by Customers	5,930,735.70
Bills Receivable	90,629.21
Doubtful Debtors, valued at	16,473.94
Sundry other Debtors and Book Accounts	117,412.52
Goods on hand and in process	10,810,368.50
Drawbacks Due	462,201.37
Raw materials	1,282,097.23
Sundry Personal Property	291,603.39
Advances to other Companies	14,521,552.90
Plants and Lands	7,197,600.27
Stocks of other Companies	35,678,044.98
Railroad Mortgage	100,000.00
Treasury Stock	100,000.00
Unexpired Insurance Policies	9,875.40
Good Will Account and Organization Expenses		$62,832,300.01
$141,057,010.20	$78,224,710.19	$62,832,300.01

LIABILITIES
Accrued Interest	$58,530.00
Current Accounts	328,411.95
Bills Payable	1,557,391.66
Exchange (not due)	1,798,370.74
Bonds. $6,680,000.00
Less in Treasury. $1,400,000.00	5,280,000.00
Reserve for Fire Insurance	383.379.88
Preferred Stock	62,282,300.00
Common Stock		$62,882,300.00
Surplus—as January 1^st, 1903	$6,486,325.97
$141,057,010.20	$78,174,710.20	$62,882,300.00

Source: Harvard University Archives. Harvard University, Examination Papers, 1873-1915. Box 8, Bound vol. Examination Papers 1908-09; Papers Set for Final Examinations in History, Government, Economics,…,Music in Harvard College (June, 1909), pp. 42-43.

Image Source: 1903 stock certificate of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from Wikimedia.

Tags Ripley

Exam Questions Harvard Labor

Harvard. Labor economics. Enrollment, Course Description, Final Exam. Ripley, 1908-1909

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2025-04-17
No Comments on Harvard. Labor economics. Enrollment, Course Description, Final Exam. Ripley, 1908-1909

Labor economics was already an established applied field in the Harvard economics department at the dawn of the twentieth century. William Zebina Ripley covered big labor and big business in separate courses.

The photo above shows my grandfather (left), seen here working on the railroad.

__________________________

Problems of Labor:
previous semesters

1902-03
1903-04
1904-05
1905-06
1906-07
1907-08
(Some information about Lauren Carroll,
Ripley’s teaching assistant for this course)

__________________________

Course Description
1908-09

9a ¹hf. Problems of Labor. Half-course (first half-year). Tu.,
Th., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Sat., at 1.30. Professor Ripley.

This course will deal mainly with the economic and social relations of employer and employed, with especial reference to legislation. Among the topics included will be, —collective bargaining; labor organizations; factory legislation in the United States and Europe; strikes, strike legislation and legal decisions; conciliation and arbitration; employers’ liability and compulsory compensation; compulsory insurance with particular reference to European experience; the problem of the unemployed; apprenticeship, and trade and technical education.

Each student will make at least one report upon a labor union, from the original documents. Two lectures a week, with one recitation, will be the usual practice.

__________________________

Course Enrollment
1908-09

Economics 9a ¹hf. Professor Ripley, assisted by Mr. Carroll. — Problems of Labor.

Total 80: 4 Graduates, 24 Seniors, 30 Juniors, 13 Sophomores, 1 Freshman, 8 Others.

Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College, 1908-1909, p. 68.

__________________________

ECONOMICS 9a¹
Mid-Year Examination, 1908-09

If A does only two-thirds of a full day’s work for a day’s pay, is not a corresponding amount of work left over for B? What is the economic fallacy involved?
What are the main arguments against the principle of the Workmen’s Compensation Acts? State these in the form of propositions, with the counter argument in each case.
What was the justification in the then-existing conditions for the adoption by the courts of the “fellow servant” doctrine? Wherein does it fail to harmonize with present-day conditions?
State the main characteristics of the legislation which has resulted from the Taff Vale decision.
How far does the non-union man resemble the independent voter in politics in status? What, if any, is the defect in the parallel?
State in brief sentences, the differences between the New Zealand and the Victorian types of labor legislation.
Describe the main features of American trade union finance, contrasting it with British conditions.
In the unions concerning which you have most information, what seem to you the most serious evils or abuses? What remedy do you suggest?

Image Source: An old family photo colorized by Economics in the Rear-view Mirror. My maternal grandpa is the man on the left.

Tags Ripley

Exam Questions Harvard Public Finance

Harvard. Undergraduate public finance exam. Bullock, 1908-1909

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2025-04-16
No Comments on Harvard. Undergraduate public finance exam. Bullock, 1908-1909

Another project and some travel have kept me busy since the last post. At last I have some time to get back to producing a flow of new content for Economics in the Rear-view Mirror. I’ll pick up where I left off posting exam questions for courses at Harvard in the academic year 1908-09.

________________________

Charles J. Bullock’s earlier public finance exams at Harvard

1901-02. Economics 7a and 7b. Financial administration; taxation [undergraduate]

1903-04. Economics 16. Financial history of the United States

1904-05. Economics 7a. Introduction to public finance [undergraduate]

1904-05. Economics 7b. Theory and methods of taxation [undergraduate]

1904-05. Economics 16. Financial history of the United States.

1905-06 Economics 7. Public finance [undergraduate]

1905-06 Economics 16. Public finance [advanced]

1906-07 Economics 16. Public finance and taxation

1907-08 Economics 16. Public finance and taxation

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

From 1906: Selected Readings in Public Finance edited by Charles Jesse Bullock (Boston: Inn & Company).

From 1910: Short bibliography on public finance “for serious minded students” by Bullock

________________________

Course Enrollment
1908-09

Economics 7 ²hf. Professor Bullock, assisted by Mr. Harrison. — Public Finance considered with special reference to the Theory and Methods of Taxation.

Total 110: 22 Seniors, 38 Juniors, 41 Sophomores, 5 Freshmen, 4 Others.

Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College, 1908-1909, p. 67.

________________________

Course Description
1908-09

7 ²hf. Public Finance, considered with special reference to the Theory and Methods of Taxation. Half-course (second half-year). Mon., Wed., Fri., at 10. Professor Bullock.

This course is for undergraduates exclusively, and cannot be elected by graduates. As stated in the title, much attention is given to the subject of taxation, which will occupy about one half of the time of the course and will be studied with special reference to federal, state, and local taxation in the United States. The remainder of the time will be given to such topics as governmental expenditures, governmental industries (including some study of the relation of the state to railways and other public-service industries), public debts, and financial administration.

The course may, with the consent of the instructor, be elected by students who are taking Economics 1 in the same year.

________________________

ECONOMICS 7
Year-end Examination, 1908-09

What causes are tending to increase municipal expenditures in the United States?
What can be said for and against the proposition that increasing public expenditures are a sign of advancing civilization?
In what actual cases has public ownership and operation of industries tended to reduce the burden of taxation? What do you consider the probable financial result of public ownership and operation?
Describe the experience of the United States with income taxes.
Write a brief history of the federal tax on spirits in the United States.
By what criteria would you determine the justice of a proposed tax law?
Why should a national debt be paid?
Give a detailed account of the present method of taxing personal property in Massachusetts.

Tags Bullock

Economists Harvard Transcript

Harvard. Economics Graduate Record of Paul Samuelson. PhD 1941

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2025-03-17

Joseph Schumpeter chaired the general economics Ph.D. exam and the special Ph.D. exam of Paul Samuelson. In the course transcript of the Graduate School of Arts and Science, we see that Schumpeter awarded Samuelson the presumably maximum maximorum grade of “A plus plus” in his course.

By the end of the 1930s the individual student records of Ph.D. candidates in Harvard’s Division of History, Government, and Economics were little more than the three page application for candidacy for the Ph.D. degree along with a fourth page on which the completion of degree requirements was duly recorded: the satisfaction of French and German reading skills, passing grades for the general and special Ph.D. exams, acceptance of the thesis by readers and a transcript of Harvard coursework (presumably to satisfy residency requirements). The grade reports for the general and special exams include little more that the grade awarded, the members of the examination committee, and occasionally a sentence or two remark on the candidate’s performance.

_______________________

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

Application for Candidacy for the Degree of Ph.D.

[Note: Boldface used to indicate printed text of the application; italics used to indicate the handwritten entries]

I. Full Name, with date and place of birth.

Paul Anthony Samuelson, May 15, 1915; Gary, Indiana.

II. Academic Career: (Mention, with dates inclusive, colleges or other higher institutions of learning attended; and teaching positions held.)

University of Chicago — 1932-35

III. Degrees already attained. (Mention institutions and dates.)

A.B. — 1935 — U. of C.

IV. General Preparation. (Indicate briefly the range and character of your under-graduate studies in History, Economics, Government, and in such other fields as Ancient and Modern Languages, Philosophy, etc. In case you are a candidate for the degree in History, state the number of years you have studied preparatory and college Latin.)

Econ. Theory, 5 quarters; Econ Stat, 2; Acc’ting, 1; Labor Problems, 2; Public Finance; Econ. Hist. 2; Money & Banking, 1; Sociology, 3; Pol. Science, 4; History 7;
Reading Knowledge Exam in French and German for Ph.D., U. of C.
Anthrop. 1; Educ. 1; Mathematics, 3 quarters

V. Department of Study. (Do you propose to offer yourself for the Ph.D., “History,” in “Economics,” or in “Political Science”?)

Economics

VI. Choice of Subjects for the General Examination. (State briefly the nature of your preparation in each subject, as by Harvard courses, courses taken elsewhere, private reading, teaching the subject, etc., etc.)

Economic Theory. – Econ. 11, 15b, 18
Economic Statistics – Econ 32b Econ 31a
Money and Banking – Econ 50
Mathematical Economics Econ 8a, 18
[Note: this field has a red bracket] Economic History – Econ 23
Theory

VII. Special Subject for the special examination.

Economic Theory

VIII. Thesis Subject. (State the subject and mention the instructor who knows most about your work upon it.)

[Left blank]

IX. Examinations. (Indicate any preferences as to the time of the general and special examinations.)

[Left blank]

X. Remarks

[Left blank]

Signature of a member of the Division certifying approval of the above outline of subjects.

[signed] H. H. Burbank

* * * [Last page of application] * * *

[Not to be filled out by the applicant]

Name: Paul Anthony Samuelson

Approved: February 25, 1936

Ability to use French certified by November 5, 1935.Dr. A. E. Monroe.

Ability to use German certified by November 4, 1936. Dr. A. E. Monroe.

Date of general examination May 18, 1936. Passed. J.A.S.

Thesis received November 12, 1940.

read by Professors Schumpeter and E. B. Wilson.

approved November 26, 1940.

Date of special examination December 4, 1940. Passed, J.A.S.

Recommended for the Doctorate 2/4/41

Degree conferred 2/17/41

Remarks. [Left blank]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

General examination,
Departmental Report

DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS
Report on Examinations for Graduate Degrees

Name of Candidate: Paul Anthony Samuelson

Date of Examination: Monday, May 18, 1936.

Department of Economics

Fields Examined: 1. Economic Theory, 2. Statistics, 3. Money and Banking, 4. Mathematical Economics

The Committee certifies that the General ~~Special~~ Examination of the candidate was

Excellent
~~Good~~
~~Fair~~
~~Unsatisfactory~~

Committee: Professors Schumpeter (chairman), Harris, Leontief, Dr. Gordon

Further comments may be made below.

A remarkable showing in economic theory but less strong in the applied field

Chairman
[signed]
Joseph Schumpeter

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Transcript of Paul A. Samuelson in the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

24 UNIVERSITY HALL,
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

November 21, 1940

Transcript of the record of Mr Paul Anthony Samuelson

1935-36

COURSE	GRADE
Economics 11 (1 course)	A plus (mid-year grade)
Economics 12¹(½ course)	A minus
Economics 31a¹(½ course)	A plus
Economics 50 (1 course)	Excused
Economics 15b² (½ course)	A plus plus [sic]
Economics 32b² (½ course)	A minus

1936-37

COURSE	GRADE
Economics 133 (1 course)	A
Economics 143(1 course)	A
Economics 151 (1 course)	A
Economics 145a¹ (½ course)	A plus
Economics 145b² (½ course)	A plus

Mr. Samuelson received the degree of Master of Arts in June, 1936.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Notice of Time and Place
of Special Examination

9 Holyoke House
November 26, 1940

Dear Mr. Samuelson:

The arrangements have been completed for your special examination for the degree of Ph.D. in Economics. It is to be held on Wednesday, December 4, at 4. p.m. in Littauer Center M-10.

Sincerely yours,
[unsigned copy]
Secretary.

Mr. Paul A. Samuelson
11 Ware Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Special examination,
Division Report

DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS
Report on Examinations for Graduate Degree

Name of Candidate: Paul Anthony Samuelson

Date of Examination: Wednesday, December 4, 1940, at 4 o’clock

Department of Economics

Fields Examined: Special Field: Economic Theory

Thesis: “Foundations of Analytical Economics: The Observational Significance of Economic Theory.”

The Committee certified that the ~~General~~ Special Examination of the candidate was

Excellent
~~Good~~
~~Fair~~
Failed, no bar to re-examination
Failed, recommended not to request re-examination

Committee: Professors Schumpeter (chairman), Wilson, Chamberlin, Dr. Taylor

Further comments may be made below.

The performance was excellent not only in mathematical but also in general economic theory.

[signed]
Josef Schumpeter
E.B. Wilson
O.H. Taylor
E.H. Chamberlin

Source: Harvard University Archives. Division of History, Government & Economics. PhD. Material 1939-42, Box 20.

__________________________

Course Names and Instructors
(1935-36)

Economics 11 Economic Theory	Prof. William F. Taussig
Economics 12¹ Monopolistic Competition and Allied Problems in Value Theory	Prof. Edward H. Chamberlin
Economics 31a¹ Theory of Economic Statistics, I	Prof. William L. Crum and Asst. Prof. Edward Frickey
Economics 50 Principles of Money and Banking	Prof. John H. Williams
Economics 15b² Selected Problems in Advance Economic Theory	Prof. Joseph A. Schumpeter and an assistant
Economics 32b² Topics in Statistical Theory	Prof. E. B. Wilson

Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College 1935-36, pp. 82-84.

Course Names and Instructors
(1936-37)

Economics 133 Recent Economic History	Prof. Abbott Paysan Usher
Economics 143 International Trade	Prof. Gottfried Haberler
Economics 151 Public Finance	Professor Harold H. Burbank
Economics 145a¹ Business Cycles and Economic Forecasting	Prof. Joseph A. Schumpeter
Economics 145b² Seminar. Business Cycles and Economic Forecasting	Prof. Joseph A. Schumpter and Assoc. Prof. Gottfried Haberler

Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College 1936-37, pp. 93-94.

Image Source: Original black-and-white photo of Samuelson from the slideshow at the M.I.T. Memorial Service (April 10, 2010). Colorized by Economics in the Rear-view Mirror.

Tags Samuelson, Schumpeter, WilsonEB

Exam Questions Harvard Transportation

Harvard. Enrollment and exam for Economics of Transportation. Ripley, 1908-1909

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2025-02-28

Transportation was an applied field located within the intersection of industrial organization, government regulation, and corporate finance. William Zebina Ripley’s teaching portfolio at Harvard also included labor and industrial relations.

__________________________

Monographs/Books on Transportation by W. Z. Ripley

Transportation. Chapter from the Final report of the U.S. Industrial Commission (Vol. XIX) and privately issued by the author for the use of his students and others. Washington, D.C., 1902.

Railway Problems, edited with an introduction by William Z. Ripley (Boston: Ginn & Company, 1907).

Railroads: Rates and Regulation (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1912).

Railroads: Finance & Organization (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1915).

__________________________

Earlier exams etc. for Economics 5 (Economics of Transportation), etc.

1900-01 (Hugo Richard Meyer alone)
1901-02 (Ripley with Hugo Richard Meyer)
1903-04 (Ripley alone)
1904-05 (Ripley with Stuart Daggett)
1905-06 (Ripley with Stuart Daggett)
1906-07 (Ripley with Stuart Daggett and Walter Wallace McLaren)
1907-08 (Ripley with Stuart Daggett)

….etc.

1906-07. Ec 17. Railroad Practice (Dr. Stuart Daggett)
1907-08. Ec 17. Railroad Practice (Dr. Stuart Daggett)

____________________________

Course Enrollment
1908-09

Economics 5 ¹hf. Professor Ripley, assisted by Mr. [probably, Edmund Thorton] Miller. — Economics of Transportation.

Total 135: 1 Graduate, 34 Seniors, 57 Juniors, 32 Sophomores, 5 Freshmen, 6 Others.

Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College, 1908-1909, p. 68.

____________________________

ECONOMICS 5¹
Mid-year Examination, 1908-09

(Counts for three questions.)
The subjoined diagram shows the location and mileage of various places in Ohio and Michigan.

Traffic may move from A to D by several routes: viz.,
over A B D (two routes between B and D, as shown on map), over A B C D, and over A B C E D. Traffic may move from A to E likewise by several routes: viz., A B C E and A B C D E. As shown by the map, there is no direct route from B to E.
Shippers of ice at A on the diagram complain that rates from A to E by all routes are $1 per hundredweight, while the rate from A to D is only eighty cents. Formerly the rates from A to both E and D were the same: viz., $1.25.

1. Was the former equality of rates from A to D and E any fairer than the present situation? If so, explain why.
2. Is Springfield injured by the lower rate to D? Explain fully. Does this condition of affairs constitute a violation of the Long and Short Haul clause, as finally construed?
3. Is there any remedy to suggest?
What is the present status of the Gould system of railroads by comparison with other properties?
What are the objections to issues of short-term notes by railroads? Describe recent conditions.
What additions to the present Interstate Commerce Act, as amended, have been suggested? State both sides of the argument in each case.
How do matters stand at present with respect to the powers of the Federal Commissions in securing testimony? Compare with condition in 1900, as described in the Report of the United States Industrial Commission.
Describe the various sources of information utilized in the preparation of your report; stating what you could and could not find in each of the authorities consulted. For instance, what data are given the Statistics of Railways published by the Interstate Commerce Commission?
What feature of the Annual Report of the Interstate Commerce Commission which you read seemed to you most noteworthy?

Image Source: Buster Keaton in “The General” (1926). If you want a mugshot of Professor William Z. Ripley go here.

Tags Ripley

Economists Harvard Public Finance

Harvard. Application for PhD candidacy. Arthur Smithies, PhD 1935

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2025-02-26

After having received his Philosophy, Politics and Economics B.A. from Oxford as a Tasmanian Rhodes Scholar, Arthur Smithies entered the graduate program in economics at Harvard in 1932. Between the biographical bookends of this post, you will find the records of Smithies’ graduate education kept by the Division of History, Government, and Economics.

Smithies-related posts at Economics in the Rear-view Mirror include material from his courses.

_______________________

Best biographical sketch

A. J. Hagger, “Arthur Smithies (1907-1981)” in the Australian Dictionary of Biography (Vol. 18, 2012).

Good morning Vietnam

On Smithies’ work on economic development policy in South Vietnam for the Agency for International Development, CIA and Institute for Defense Analysis:

Seth M. Kupferberg, “An Academic in the War” in The Harvard Crimson (May 23, 1975).

_______________________

A Memorial Statement by
Harvard President Derek C. Bok
March 1982

ARTHUR SMITHIES, Nathaniel Ropes Professor of Political Economy, Emeritus, died on September 9, 1981 at the age of 74. An early Keynesian economist and authority on fiscal policy, he came to Harvard in 1948 as Professor of Economics, having taught at the University of Michigan, Oxford, and the Australian National University. He also served the U.S. government in a number of capacities during World War II for the Bureau of the Budget and the Fiscal Analysis Branch of the Economic Cooperation Administration, among others. Later, the government bodies he assisted would include the Agency for International Development. He was elected Harvard’s Ropes Professor in 1957. A most popular faculty member and teacher, he was an influential chairman of the economics department twice in the 1950s and well-loved Master of Kirkland House from 1965 to 1974. He wrote continuously and served as editor for the Quarterly Journal of Economics and the Journal of Economic Abstracts. His 1948 book, The Federal Budget and Fiscal Policy, remained a standard text for 20 years. A colleague [John Kenneth Galbraith] said Mr. Smithies believed a sense of history made the difference between a good economist and an inferior one. His own caused him in the latter years of his career to move his major interest from federal fiscal policy to the economic problems of developing countries. A native of Tasmania, he earned degrees from its University and Oxford, and the Ph.D. from Harvard.

Source: Report of the President of Harvard College, 1980-81, pp. 40-41.

_______________________

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

Application for Candidacy for the Degree of Ph.D.

[Note: Boldface used to indicate printed text of the application; italics used to indicate the handwritten entries]

I. Full Name, with date and place of birth.

Arthur Smithies. 12 December 1907, Hobart Tasmania.

II. Academic Career: (Mention, with dates inclusive, colleges or other higher institutions of learning attended; and teaching positions held.)

University of Tasmania 1925-1929
Magdalen College Oxford 1929-1932
Harvard 1932—

III. Degrees already attained. (Mention institutions and dates.)

L.L.B. University of Tasmania
B.A. (Philosophy Politics Economics), Oxford

[Left blank]

V. Department of Study. (Do you propose to offer yourself for the Ph.D., “History,” in “Economics,” or in “Political Science”?)

Economics

Economic Theory.
at Oxford & Economics 11 & 15 at Harvard
Money and Banking
at Oxford & Economics 38 at Harvard
International Trade
at Oxford & Economics 39 at Harvard
Statistics
Economics 41A & 41B at Harvard
[Added later] (Jurisprudence) Satisfied by work at Univ. Tasmania. Degree LLB. Smithies first man in his class) H.H. Burbank
[Added later] Economic Theory

VII. Special Subject for the special examination.

Economic Theory

VIII. Thesis Subject. (State the subject and mention the instructor who knows most about your work upon it.)

[Added later] Aspects of Theory of Production

IX. Examinations. (Indicate any preferences as to the time of the general and special examinations.)

[Left blank]

X. Remarks

[Added later] Economic History requirement satisfied by work at Oxford.
Smithies has a preparation sufficiently broad to warrant the acceptance of this program.

[Committee for General Examination] Profs. Taussig, Leontief, Harris, Crum
[Committee for Special Examination] Profs. Taussig, Schumpeter, Leontief

Signature of a member of the Division certifying approval of the above outline of subjects.

[signed] H. H. Burbank

* * * [Last page of application] * * *

[Not to be filled out by the applicant]

Name: Arthur Smithies

Approved: ~~May 28, 1933~~ [Added later] Sept. 11, 1933

Ability to use French certified by Dr. A. E. Monroe, March 3, 1933.

Ability to use German certified by Dr. A. E. Monroe, March. 3, 1933.

Date of general examination Friday, May 19, 1933. Passed. F.W.T.

Thesis received April 30, 1934.

Read by Professors Taussig and Schumpeter.

Approved May 18, 1934.

Date of special examination Friday, June 1, 1934. Passed F.W.T.

Recommended for the Doctorate February 6, 1935

Degree conferred Mid-years, 1935

Remarks. [left blank]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Partial transcript of Arthur Smities in the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

1932-33

Economics 11 (1 course)	A minus (mid-year grade)
Economics 15¹(½ course)	A plus
Economics 38 (1 course)	A (mid-year grade)
Economics 41a¹ (½ course)	B
Economics 41b² (½ course)	now taking
Economics 39² (½ course)	now taking

A.B. Univ. of Oxford, England, 1932.
Commonwealth Fund Fellow, 1932-33.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Proposed change in Mr. Smithies’ plan: [undated]

Economic Theory
Money & Banking
Statistics
Jurisprudence
Economic History (course credit). Course taken at Oxford
Economic theory.

(Professor Taussig wishes to examine him in Jurisprudence)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

General examination,
Departmental Report

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
Report on Examinations for Graduate Degrees

Name of Candidate: Arthur Smithies

Date of Examination: May 19, 1933

Fields Examined: Economic Theory, Money and Banking, Statistics, Jurisprudence

The Committee certified that the General Examination of the candidate was

~~Excellent~~
Good
~~Fair~~
~~Unsatisfactory~~

Committee:

F. W. Taussig
W. L. Crum
S. E. Harris
W. W. Leontief

[signed] F. W. Taussig Chairman

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

General examination passed

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

Cambridge, Massachusetts
May 22, 1933

Dear Professor Wilson:

As chairman of the committee for the general examination of Arthur Smithies I beg to report that the candidate passed the examination. The committee certifies that his showing was good, and I would add that on two of the subjects it was better than good. On no subject was it in any way unsatisfactory.

Very truly yours,
[signed]
F. W. Taussig

Professor G. G. Wilson
15 Little Hall
Cambridge, Massachusetts

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Special examination,
Division Report

DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS
Report on Examinations for Graduate Degree

Name of Candidate: Arthur Smithies

Date of Examination: Friday, June 1, 1934, in 42 Holyoke House, at 4.

Department of Economics

Fields Examined: Economic Theory (special field)

The Committee certified that the ~~General~~ Special Examination of the candidate was

Excellent
~~Good~~
~~Fair~~
Failed, no bar to re-examination
Failed, recommended not to request re-examination

Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Leontief, and Schumpeter

Further comments may be made below.

Mr. Smithies’ examination confirmed the high opinion about him and his work which resulted from his thesis and his initiative in research

[signed] F. W. Taussig
Chairman

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Certificate of completed thesis
apparently misplaced

Mr. Smithies’ Certificate (for the thesis) has slipped away, and will have to be put in, with the proper signatures, when recovered.

[Handwritten note by Professor Frank W. Taussig]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Source: Harvard University Archives. Division of History, Government & Economics. PhD. Candidates Receiving Degrees in 1935-1936, Box 15.

__________________________

Course Names and Instructors (1932-33)

Economics 11 Economic Theory	Prof. William F. Taussig
Economics 15¹ Problems in Economic Theory	Prof. Joseph A. Schumpeter
Economics 38 Principles of Money and Banking	Professors John H. Williams and Joseph A. Schumpeter
Economics 41a¹ Theory of Economic Statistics I	Prof. William L. Crum and Asst. Prof. Edwin Frickey
Economics 41b² Theory of Economic Statistics II	Prof. William L. Crum and Asst. Prof. Edwin Frickey
Economics 39² International Trade and Finance	Prof. Wassily Leontief

Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College 1932-33 , pp. 65-67.

__________________________

Arthur Smithies
Timeline of his life and career

1907. Born December 12 at Lindisfarne, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Attended Hutchins School in Hobart, Tasmania

1928. Won the James Backhouse Walker prize for proficiency, University of Tasmania.

1929. LL.B. University of Tasmania

1929-32. Tasmanian Rhodes Scholar, Magdalen College, Oxford University.

1932. B.A., Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Magdalen College, Oxford University.

1932-34. Commonwealth Fund Fellow and Harkness Fellow, Harvard University.

1934-35. Economics Instructor, University of Michigan.

1935. Ph.D., Harvard University. Thesis: Aspects of the Theory of Production.
[While the dissertation and special examination had been accepted/passed in June 1934, the Ph.D. was awarded at mid-year 1934-35.]

1935. Married Katharine Ripman, February 22. Three children.

1935-38. Assistant-economist to (Sir) Roland Wilson in the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics, Canberra.

1938-43. Assistant, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Michigan.

1943-48. Economist, chief of economic section, U.S. Bureau of the Budget.

1948. The Federal Budget and Fiscal Policy. “…regarded as the standard work in the field for two decades” (Otto Eckstein).

1948-49. Director of Fiscal and Trade Policy Division, Economic Cooperation Administration.

1948-74. Professor of Economics, Harvard University.

1950-55. Chairman of the economics department, Harvard University.

1951-52. Economic adviser to the Office of Defense Mobilization.

1954. Hoover Commission Task Force.

1954. “Economic Welfare and Policy”, one of the Brookings Lectures published as Economics and Public Policy, 1955.

1955. The Budgetary Process in the United States.

1955-56. John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellow and visiting professor, Oxford University.

1957-78. Nathanial Ropes Professor of Political Economy, Harvard University.

1957-65. Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Economics.

1959-61. Chairman of the economics department, Harvard University.

1962. Founder of the Journal of Economic Abstracts.

1962-63. Visiting professor, Australian National University.

1963. Lecture delivered at the University of Queensland, St. Lucia on September 13, published by The English, Scottish and Australian Bank as Economic Stability in Australia.

1965-74. Master of Kirkland House, Harvard University.

1978. Retired from Harvard, Professor Emeritus.

1981. Suffering a heart attack at the Cambridge Boat Club after rowing on the Charles River, Smithies died September 9 in Mt. Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Timeline sources: A. J. Hagger, “Arthur Smithies (1907-1981)” in the Australian Dictionary of Biography (Vol. 18, 2012); Obituary in the Boston Globe, September 11, 1981 (p. 37); Obituary in the Harvard Crimson, September 14, 1981; Who’s Who in America 40th Edition, 1978-79, p. 3041.

Image Source: Arthur Smithies in the Harvard Class Album 1952.

Tags Smithies

Brown Economists Harvard

Harvard. Application for PhD candidacy. John H. Williams, PhD 1919

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2025-02-24

John Henry Williams was in his day a colossus whose feet were squarely planted in macroeconomic research and macroeconomic policy. Many posts here at Economics in the Rear-view Mirror include material from his Harvard courses. The particular contribution of this post is found in the transcriptions of the graduate course records from the Division of History, Government and Economics that document Williams’ own pursuit of the Ph.D. Not essential to any understanding of the development of modern economics is the flurry of letters, cards and telegrams required to coordinate the time of Williams’ Special Examination that followed the acceptance of his doctoral thesis. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

A timeline of his life and career has been appended to the post below.

_______________________

Current Literature

Pier Francesco Asso’s chapter “John Henry Williams (1887–1980)” in The Palgrave Companion to Harvard Economics edited by Robert A. Cord (1924), pp. 197-220.

_______________________

Ph.D. in Economics, 1919

JOHN HENRY WILLIAMS, A.B. (Brown Univ.) 1912, A.M. (Harvard Univ.) 1916.

Subject, Economics. Special Field, International Trade. Thesis, “Argentine International Trade under Inconvertible Paper Money, 1880-1900.” Assistant Professor of Economics, Princeton University.

Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College, 1918-19, p. 82.

_______________________

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

Application for Candidacy for the Degree of Ph.D.

[Note: Boldface used to indicate printed text of the application; italics used to indicate the handwritten entries]

I. Full Name, with date and place of birth.

John Henry Williams. June 21, 1887. Ystrad, Wales.

II. Academic Career: (Mention, with dates inclusive, colleges or other higher institutions of learning attended; and teaching positions held.)

Brown University. 1909-12.
Harvard University. 1915 to present.
Brown University. Instructor in English, 1912-15.

III. Degrees already attained. (Mention institutions and dates.)

A.B. Brown University, 1912.
A.M. Harvard, 1916.

IV. General Preparation. (Indicate briefly the range and character of your undergraduate studies in History, Economics, Government, and in such other fields as Ancient and Modern Languages, Philosophy, etc.)

General course in European history; English Constitutional history; European history since 1815; American history.
Elementary course in Economic Theory; Labor Problems;
Elementary courses in Political Science & in Sociology.
History of Philosophy. English composition (2 year courses).
Anglo-Saxon; English literature (two year courses); French (two years); German (two years); Latin & Greek (one year each). I obtained credit for a course in Spanish by special examination.

V. Department of Study. (Do you propose to offer yourself for the Ph.D., “History,” in “Economics,” or in “Political Science”?)

Economics.

Economic theory, and the history of economic thought.
Economics 11, Economics 14: – Harvard.
(Elementary course in theory at Brown.)
Economic history.
Economics 2: – Harvard.
Public Finance.
Economics 31: – Harvard.
Labor Problems.
Economics 34: – Harvard.
(one course at Brown.)
Political Theory.
Govt. 6a; Govt 6b: – Harvard.
International Trade. Special Field
Economics 33.
Economics 20(a) (Research – full course)

VII. Special Subject for the special examination.

International Trade

VIII. Thesis Subject. (State the subject and mention the instructor who knows most about your work upon it.)

The Foreign Trade of Argentina in the Period of Inconvertible Paper Money (1880-19009.
Professor F. W. Taussig.

IX. Examinations. (Indicate any preferences as to the time of the general and special examinations.)

For the general examination. Early May, 1917.

X. Remarks

[left blank]

Signature of a member of the Division certifying approval of the above outline of subjects.

[signed] Charles J. Bullock

* * * [Last page of application] * * *

[Not to be filled out by the applicant]

Name: John Henry Williams

Approved: Jan 23 1917

Ability to use French certified by C. J. Bullock. 18 December 1916 – D.H.

Ability to use German certified by C. J. Bullock. 18 December 1916 – D.H.

Date of general examination Passed – May 7, 1911 – D.H.

Thesis received [left blank]

Read by [left blank]

Approved [left blank]

Date of special examination [left blank]

Recommended for the Doctorate [left blank]

Degree conferred [left blank]

Remarks. [left blank]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Record of JOHN HENRY WILLIAMS
in the Harvard Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences

	Grades
1915-16	Course	Half-Course
Economics 2a¹		A
Economics 2b²		A
Economics 11	A
Economics 13	B plus
Economics 31	A minus
Economics 34	A


1916-17	Course	Half-Course
Economics 14	“Credit”
Economics 20a	A
Economics 33²		abs.
Economics 35¹		A
Government 6a¹		A
Government 6b²		abs.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Certification of reading knowledge
of French

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

F. W. Taussig
T. N. Carver
W. Z. Ripley
C. J. Bullock
E. F. Gay
W. M. Cole
O. M. W. Sprague
W.E. Rappard
H.L. Gray
E. E. Day

Cambridge, Massachusetts
December 18, 1916.

This is to certify that I have examined Mr. J. H. Williams and found that he has a satisfactory reading knowledge of French and German.

[signed]
C. J. Bullock

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

General examination passed

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

F. W. Taussig
T. N. Carver
W. Z. Ripley
C. J. Bullock
E. F. Gay
W. M. Cole
O. M. W. Sprague
E. E. Day
B. M. Anderson, Jr.

Cambridge, Massachusetts
May 9, 1917.

Dear Haskins:

Mr. J. H. William passed his general examination for the doctor’s degree on May 7th. He did pretty well in all subjects, and the vote of the Committee was unanimous. The examination was not, however, a brilliant one.

Sincerely yours,
[signed]
Charles J. Bullock

Dean C. H. Haskins

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Willing to take a professorship at Lafayette College if offered.

Department of Commerce
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce
Washington

June 20, 1918

I have your letter of June 17th, forwarded from the Cambridge Y.M.C.A., stating that I have been recommended for a professorship in economics and government at Lafayette College at $2,000. That prospect seems to me highly desirable and I hope I may get it. I am writing today to Dr. MacCracken.

For the past two weeks, as a result of your kind mention of me to Dr. Klein, I have been doing Latin American research work in the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. My present appointment is temporary and in no way binding on either side. I understand, however, that I may arrange for a permanent appointment if I desire. The salary is about the same as that of the teaching position, but the cost of living here in Washington is terrific! I feel too that I should prefer teaching to this work, provided the salary were satisfactory, as it is in the case of this position at Lafayette College. If, therefore, you could assist me in any way to secure the place, I should be very grateful.

I take this opportunity to explain what is the present status of my thesis. Save for some minor changes it is completed, and is now in Professor Taussig’s hands. He hopes to have an opportunity to read it during his vacation, which I undertand is to begin soon. Once the thesis is returned to me I mean to put it into final shape and forward it to you. Do you not think that it might be examined by a committee in the late summer or early fall, and that, if it is satisfactory, arrangement might be made for me to take the final examination in October?

With many thanks for your kind letter, I am

Very truly yours,
[signed]
John H. Williams

Dean Charles H. Haskins.

(My safest address is the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Latin American Division, Washington, D.C. I am advising the Appointments Office of this address.)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dean Haskins reply to Williams

22 June 1918

Dear Mr. Williams:

I am glad to learn from your letter of 20 June that you are interested in the place at Lafayette. Your letter to President MacCracken will put you in touch with him; I had already given him the only address I conld get, 1937 Calvert Street.

In regards your thesis, I will undertake to see what we can do when it reaches me in final shape. It is hard to find men free to read theses during the summer, but at least it can be read early in the academic year, so that your special examination need not go far into the autumn.

Let me know if I can do anything about the place at Lafayette, or elsewhere. I mentioned Professor Bullock in writing to President MacCracken.

Very truly yours,
[unsigned copy]

Mr. John H. Williams.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Undated File Note
Presumably late June 1918.

Miss Ham has telphoned that J. H. Williams wishes to take his special examination next fall. Professor Taussig has received his thesis and has read it. Who are to be the other members of the committee?

[Handwritten notes added:]
Bullock, ~~Sprague~~, ~~Klein~~, Carver.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Division asks Carver
to Read Williams’ thesis

7 October 1918

Dear Carver:

Will you serve as one of the committee to read the Ph.D. thesis of J. H. Williams, on “Foreign Trade of Argentina in the Period of Inconvertible Paper Money (1880-1900)”? The thesis will be sent to you.

Yours sincerely,
[unsigned copy]

Professor T. N. Carver

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Taussig’s Daughter to wed in November 1918. Good time to schedule Williams’ Special Examination

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

F. W. Taussig
T. N. Carver
W. Z. Ripley
C. J. Bullock
E. F. Gay
W. M. Cole
O. M. W. Sprague
E. E. Day
B. M. Anderson, Jr.
J. S. Davis
H. H. Burbank
E. E. Lincoln

Cambridge, Massachusetts
October 14, 1918.

Dear dear Haskins:

Taussig writes that he is going to be in Cambridge about November 10th to attend his daughter’s wedding, and obviously that will be the best time for having Williams’s final examination. Let us tentatively put that down for November 9th, 10th, or 11th, the exact date to be fixed after the date of the wedding is definitely set.

Williams’s thesis will undoubtedly be accepted. Taussig and I are now ready to approve it, and find it a very excellent piece of work. Carver is now reading it.

Sincerely yours,
[signed]
Charles J. Bullock

Dean C. H. Haskins

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dean Haskins Begins to Assemble Special Examination Committee

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Division of History, Government, and Economics

16 October 1918

My dear Sir:

Can you serve as a member of the committee for the special examination of John Henry Williams for the Ph.D. in Economics, which is provisionally fixed for November 9 or 11? Mr. Williams’s special field is International Trade, and his thesis subject is Foreign Trade of Argentina in the Period of Inconvertible Paper Money (1880-1900). The committee consists of Professors Taussig (chairman), Bullock, Carver, and Persons.

Yours sincerely,
[unsigned copy]
CHARLES H. HASKINS

[To: Taussig, Bullock, Carver, Persons]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Division sets tentative dates for
Special Examination

16 October 1918

Dear Mr. Williams:

Your special examination has been fixed provisionally for November 9 or 11. The committee consists of Professors Taussig (chairman), Bullock, Carver, and Persons.

Sincerely yours,
[unsigned copy]

Mr. J. H. Williams.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Division checking whether
Taussig would be available for the Special Examination

16 October 1918

Dear Taussig:

I understand from Bullock that you are to be here these days. Can you indicate so far in advance whether you could act on Williams’s examination and what hour would be convenient for you?

Sincerely yours,
[unsigned copy]

Professor F.W. Taussig.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Persons can serve on
Special Examination Committee

My dear Dean Haskins:

I will be able to serve on the committee to examine J. H. Williams on Nov 9 or 11.

[signed]
Warren M. Persons

Oct. 18–1918

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION
WASHINGTON

F. W. Taussig, Chairman
Thomas walker Page, Vice Chairman
David J. Lewis
William Kent
William S. Culbertson
Edward P. Costigan
Wm. M. Steuart, Secretary

Address reply to
United States Tariff Commission

October 18, 1918.

Dear Bullock:

I enclose the certificate on Williams’s thesis, duly signed. I should hope to be able to get to Cambridge about November 12th. I can make no unqualified promises, but just now there is something of a let up, and prospects for an easier year are good.

Sincerely yours,
[signed]
F. W. Taussig

Professor C. J. Bullock,
Department of Economics
Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Enclosure.

[Short-hand note at bottom of page]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION
WASHINGTON

F. W. Taussig, Chairman
Thomas walker Page, Vice Chairman
David J. Lewis
William Kent
William S. Culbertson
Edward P. Costigan
Wm. M. Steuart, Secretary

Address reply to
United States Tariff Commission

October 19, 1918.

Dear Haskins:

I have your letter of the 16th. I could take part in Williams’ examination about November 12th or 13th. It will be a pleasure to have a hand again in Cambridge doings.

Sincerely yours,
[signed]
F. W. Taussig

Mr. Charles H. Haskins,
Harvard University,
Cambridge, Massachusetts.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bullock has Taussig’s letter to him
forwarded to Dean Haskins

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

F. W. Taussig
T. N. Carver
W. Z. Ripley
C. J. Bullock
E. F. Gay
W. M. Cole
O. M. W. Sprague
E. E. Day
B. M. Anderson, Jr.
J. S. Davis
H. H. Burbank

Cambridge, Massachusetts
October 21, 1918.

Dear Dean Haskins:

Professor Bullock wished me to send you the enclosed letter from Professor Taussig, and to suggest that you provisionally set November 12th as the date for Mr. Williams’s examination and find out whether Professor Taussig now can agree to come at that time.

Very truly yours,
[signed]
A. Pauline Ham

Dean C. H. Haskins

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Special Examination Date Change
(to the Committee)

21 October 1918

Dear Bullock:

Mr. Williams’s examination has been changed to Tuesday, November 12, at 3 p.m. I hope that this will be convenient for you.

Sincerely yours,
[unsigned copy]

Professor C. J. Bullock
Professor T. N. Carver
Dr. W. M. Persons.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Special Examination Date Change
(to Williams)

21 October 1918

My dear Mr. Williams:

It has been found necessary to change your examination, and it has been set provisionally for Tuesday, November 12, at 3 p.m.

Sincerely yours,
[unsigned copy]

Mr. John H. Williams.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Special Examination Date Change
(to Taussig)

21 October 1918

Dear Taussig:

I have arranged Mr. Williams’s examination for Tuesday, November 12, at 3 p.m. I hope that hour will be convenient for you.

Sincerely yours,
[unsigned copy]

Professor F. W. Taussig.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Carver agrees to serve on Williams’ Special Examination Committee

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

F. W. Taussig
T. N. Carver
W. Z. Ripley
C. J. Bullock
E. F. Gay
W. M. Cole
O. M. W. Sprague
E. E. Day
B. M. Anderson, Jr.
J. S. Davis
H. H. Burbank
E. E. Lincoln

Cambridge, Massachusetts
October 22, 1918.

Dean Charles H. Haskins,
Cambridge, Mass.

Dear Sir:

I can serve as a member of the committee for the examination of Mr. Williams on either date, given, preferably on November 9.

Very sincerely yours,
[signed]
T. N. Carver (P)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bullock can’t make
the new Special Examination date

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

F. W. Taussig
T. N. Carver
W. Z. Ripley
C. J. Bullock
E. F. Gay
W. M. Cole
O. M. W. Sprague
E. E. Day
B. M. Anderson, Jr.
J. S. Davis
H. H. Burbank
E. E. Lincoln

Cambridge, Massachusetts
October 23, 1918.

My dear Haskins:

It now appears that I shall be away from Cambridge the week of November 10-16 in attendance at the annual conference of the National Tax Association. Since Taussig is going to be here that week, I think it would be better to adhere to your date of Noverber 12th for Williams’s examination. You have Taussig, Carver, and Persons, so that you could perfectly well replace me by Burbank or some historian or a government man. It is more important that Taussig should be on hand than that I should be there.

Sincerely yours,
[signed]
Charles J. Bullock

Dean C. H. Haskins

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Carver agrees to new date for
Williams’ Special Examination

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

F. W. Taussig
T. N. Carver
W. Z. Ripley
C. J. Bullock
E. F. Gay
W. M. Cole
O. M. W. Sprague
E. E. Day
B. M. Anderson, Jr.
J. S. Davis
H. H. Burbank
E. E. Lincoln

Cambridge, Massachusetts
October 24, 1918.

Dean Charles H. Haskins,
Cambridge, Mass.

Dear Dean Haskins:

The date for Mr. Williams’s examination, November 12, at 3 p.m. is satisfactory to me.

Very sincerely yours,
[signed]
T. N. Carver

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION
WASHINGTON

F. W. Taussig, Chairman
Thomas walker Page, Vice Chairman
David J. Lewis
William Kent
William S. Culbertson
Edward P. Costigan
Wm. M. Steuart, Secretary

Address reply to
United States Tariff Commission

October 24, 1918.

Dear Haskins:

I have your note concerning Williams’ examination on Tuesday, November 12th. I will be on hand.

Very truly yours,
[signed]
F. W. Taussig

Mr. Charles H. Haskins,
Harvard University,
Cambridge, Massachusetts.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Asking Burbank to substitute for Bullock

25 October 1918

Dear Burbank:

Could you serve as a member of the committee for the special examination of J. H. Williams on Tuesday, November 12, at 3 p.m.? Professor Bullock, who was to serve, is obliged to be out of town that week, and the date of the examination has to be fixed with regard to Professor Taussig’s presence in Cambridge. Mr. Williams’s special field is International Trade, and his thesis is on Foreign Trade in Argentina, 1880-1900. The other members of the committee are Professors Taussig (chairmen), Carver, and Persons.

Sincerely yours,
[unsigned copy]

Dr. H. H. Burbank.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bullock informed

25 October 1918

Dear Bullock:

I have asked Burbank to serve in your place at Williams’s examination.

Sincerely yours,
[unsigned copy]

Professor C. J. Bullock.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Taussig needs to postpone
the Special Examination

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Dean Agrees to Postponing Special Examination

6 November 1918

Professor F. W. Taussig, U. S. Tariff Commission, Washington, D.C.

Examination can be changed to Friday fifteenth if your presence assured then. Telegraph.

Charles H. Haskins

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Williams informed of Special Examination date change

7 November 1918

Dear Mr. Williams:

It has been found necessary to change your examination to Friday, November 15, at 4 p.m. in Widener U.

Sincerely yours,
[unsigned copy]

Mr. J. H. Williams.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Committee members informed of
Special Examination date change

7 November 1918

My dear Sir:

It has been found necessary to change Mr. Williams’s examination to Friday, November 15, at 4 p.m. in Widener U. I trust this hour will be convenient for you.

Sincerely yours,
[unsigned copy]

[Carver, Persons, Burbank]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Special examination passed

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

F. W. Taussig
T. N. Carver
W. Z. Ripley
C. J. Bullock
E. F. Gay
W. M. Cole
O. M. W. Sprague
E. E. Day
B. M. Anderson, Jr.
J.S. Davis
H.H. Burbank
E.E. Lincoln

Cambridge, Massachusetts
November 16, 1918.

Dear Sir:

I beg to report, in behalf of the Committee appointed to conduct the special examination of J. H. Williams, that he passed the examination by unanimous vote of the Committee.

Very truly yours,
[signed]
F. W. Taussig

Dean C. H. Haskins

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Notice to President’s Office
of the Award of Ph.D.

[Format matches the listing in the Annual Report of the President of Harvard College]

3 December 1918

The Division of History, Government, and Economics reports that the following candidate for the degree of Doctor of philosophy has presented a satisfactory thesis and passed his final examination successfully:

John Henry Williams,

A.B. (Brown Univ.) 1912, A.M. (Harvard Univ.) 1916.

Subject, Economics. Special Field, International Trade.

Thesis. “The Foreign Trade of Argentina in the Period of Inconvertible paper Money (1880-1900).”

[unsigned copy]
Chairman

Source: Harvard University Archives. Division of History, Government & Economics, Ph.D. 1923-24. (UA V 453.270), Box 05, Folder “Degree Granted”.

__________________________

Course Names and Instructors

1915-16

Economics 2a ¹hf. European Industry and Commerce in the Nineteenth Century. Professor Gay assisted by Mr. A.H. Cole and Ryder.

Economics 2b ²hf. Economic and Financial History of the United States. Professor Gay assisted by Mr. A.H. Cole and Ryder.

Economics 11. Economic Theory. Professor Taussig.

Economics 13. Statistics: Theory, Methods, Practice. Asst. Professor Day.

Economics 31. Public Finance. Professor Bullock.

Economics 34. Problems of Labor. Professor Ripley.

1916-17

Economics 14. History and Literature of Economics to the year 1848. Professor Bullock.

Economics 20a. Economic Research (Economic Theory and International Trade and Tariff Problems). Professor Taussig.

Economics 33². International Trade and Tariff Problems. Professor Persons (Colorado College).

Economics 35¹. Problems of Business Cycles. Professor Persons (Colorado College).

Government 6a¹. History of Political Theory. Asst. Professor Holcombe.

Government 6b². Political Theories of Modern Times. Asst. Professor Holcombe.

Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College for 1915-16, 1916-17.

__________________________

John Henry Williams
Timeline of his life and career

1887. Born June 21 in Ystrad, Wales.

1889. May. Family emigrates to the United States, settling in the Blackinton section of North Adams, Massachusetts.

1900. October 13. Became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

1908[est.] Graduated from Drury High School, North Adams, Massachusetts.

1912. A.B. Brown University.

1912-15. English instructor at Brown University.

1915. Married Jessie Isabelle Monroe (she died in 1960). Two daughters.

1916. A.M. in economics, Harvard.

1917-18. July to May, Sheldon Travelling Fellow to Buenos Aires.

1918-19. Instructor of Economics. Harvard. Also assistant editor of the Review of Economic Statistics.

1919. Ph.D. in economics, Harvard. Thesis awarded the Wells Prize.

1919. Accompanied Professor Edwin Walter Kemmerer of Princeton University, who was serving as adviser to the Guatemalan government in currency matters, to Guatemala and Cuba. (They departed July 12 from New Orleans). Williams traveled as secretary to Kemmerer.

1919-20. Assistant professor of economics, Princeton University.

1920. Publication of the doctoral thesis, Argentine International Trade Under Inconvertible Paper Money, 1880-1900.

1920-21. Associate Professor of Banking, Northwestern University.

1921-25. Assistant Professor of Economics, Harvard University.

1925-26. Westinghouse professor in Italy.

1925-29. Associate Professor of Economics, Harvard University.

1929-33. Professor of Economics, Harvard University.

1933-57. Nathaniel Ropes Professor of Political Economy, Harvard University.

1932-33. Delegate to the Commission that prepared the World Monetary and Economic Conference.

1933. Spring. Joined the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as Assistant Federal Reserve Agent. Full-time until October 1934.

1936-47. Vice-president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In charge of the Research Function.

1937-47. First Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Public Administration.

1944. First edition of Postwar Monetary Plans and Other Essays published. Second edition (1945). Third edition (1947). Fourth edition (1949).

1947-52. Economic Advisor to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

1948-51. Member of the European Cooperation and Administration advisory committee on fiscal and monetary problems.

1951. President of the American Economic Association.

1952-ca.1963. Consultant to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

1953. Economic stability in a changing world; essays in economic theory and policy.

1953. One of seven named by President Eisenhower to a commission to study foreign economic policy.

1953-54. Member of the United States Commission on Foreign Economic Policy.

1957. Retires from Harvard University.

1957-63. William L. Clayton Professor of International Economic Affairs at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

1962. Married second wife, Katherine R. McKinstry
[note: she was thanked for her editorial help in preparing the publication of Postwar Monetary Plans and Other Essays (1944); also in Economic stability in a changing world; essays in economic theory and policy (1953)]

1980. December 24. Died in Southbridge, Massachusetts.

Timeline sources: Obituary in North Adams Transcript (Jan 5, 1981), p. 12; FRBNY Quarterly Review (Winter, 1980-81), pp. 1-2; Who’s Who in America 1952, p. 2622.

Image Source: Passport picture from John Henry Williams’ passport application July 8, 1919. Low resolution scan enhanced by Economics in the Rear-view Mirror.

Tags Bullock, Burbank, Carver, Taussig, WilliamsJH

Exam Questions Harvard Sociology

Harvard. Enrollment and exams for Principles of Sociology. Carver, 1908-1909

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2025-02-19

Artifacts from a time when Sociology roomed with Economics…at least at Harvard. But make no mistake, economics was paying the rent back in that day.

One presumes the course text was Thomas Nixon Carver’s book of course readings (over 800 pages!): Sociology and Social Progress: A Handbook for Students of Sociology. Boston: Ginn & Company, 1905.

The teaching assistant for the course was Carl William Thompson (1879-1920). After receiving an A.M. from the University of South Dakota in 1903, he added a Harvard A.M. in 1904 where he had an appointment as Assistant in Elocution. He re-entered Harvard graduate school in 1908 as a professor of economics and sociology and director of the School of Commerce at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion. He passed his general exam on June 2, 1909. In his application for candidacy for the Ph.D. he wrote “Am teaching a course in General Sociology this year, based on Carver’s ‘Sociology & Social Progress’, Ward, Spencer etc.” [Source: Harvard University Archives. Division of History, Government & Economics Division Archives. PhD. Material, Box 3, Folder “Ph.D. (illegible)”]. There is no indication that he completed the other requirements for the Ph.D. in his file. From Harvard Thompson was the director of the bureau of research in agricultural economics and associate professor of economics at the University of Minnesota. In May 1913 he accepted a position in the rural organization service of the U.S. department of agriculture. He died of influenza in 1920.

__________________________

Sociology exams from earlier years.

1901-02 (taught by T. N. Carver)

1902-03 (taught by T. N. Carver and W. Z. Ripley)

1903-04 (taught by T. N. Carver)

1904-05 (taught by T. N. Carver and J. A. Field) Includes the reading list for the course and additional biographical information.

1905-06 (taught by T. N. Carver)

1906-07 (taught by J. A. Field)

1907-08 (taught by T. N. Carver)

__________________________

Course Enrollment
1908-09

Economics 3. Professor Carver, assisted by Mr. Thompson. — Principles of Sociology. Theories of Social Progress.

Total 42: 7 Graduates, 4 Seniors, 21 Juniors, 4 Sophomores, 6 Others.

Source: Harvard University. Report of the President of Harvard College, 1908-1909, p. 68.

__________________________

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
ECONOMICS 3

Mid-year Examination, 1908-09

Can social progress be defined in terms of human well-being and, at the same time, in terms of the universal evolutionary process? Explain.
Are human interests harmonious as antagonistic, and what is the relation of this question to the problem of evil?
How does military life, in different stages of social development, operate as a factor in human selection.
What are some of the leading factors tending toward, (a) race improvement, (b) race deterioration, at the present time in the United States?
Discuss the probable future of ceremonial institutions as described by Spencer.
How does the transition from the militant to the industrial type of society affect the status of women?
Trace briefly the historical relationship among the leading professions, as set forth by Spencer.
Discuss briefly, territory, race, creed, and occupation, as bases of group consciousness, together with some of the results of each special form of group consciousness.

Source: Harvard University Archives. Harvard University. Mid-year Examinations, 1852-1943. Box 8, Bound Volume: Examination Papers, Mid-Years 1908-09.

__________________________

ECONOMICS 3
Year-end Examination, 1908-09

What, according to Spencer, is the relation between the development of domestic institutions and the economizing of individual life?
How do you distinguish between passive and active adaptation? Give illustrations.
Discuss the views of Galton and Pearson on the social aspects of biological selection.
What, according to Tarde, is the place of imitation as a social factor?
Compare Kidd and Buckle on the relation of religion to progress.
State, in brief, and criticize Spencer’s sociological theory of morals.
State the democratic and republican theories of representation and the application of each to the conditions of modern government.
Would you draw any line between those industries which are suitable for government enterprise and those which are not? If so, where? If not, why not?

Image Source: Thomas Nixon Carver. The World’s Work. Vol. XXVI (May-October 1913) p. 127. Colorized by Economics in the Rear-view Mirror.

Tags Carver, ThompsonCW

Previously transcribed requirements for the Ph.D. in Harvard University’s Division of History, Government, and Economics

Members of the Committee to Review the Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree

DEGREE OF PH.D. [Division requirements, 1904-05]

THE DEGREE OF PH.D. IN ECONOMICS [1904-05]

An Analogous Artifact from Columbia University

DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMMITTEES CONDUCTING THE GENERAL EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Other Corporations/Industrial Organization Related Posts for William Z. Ripley

Course Enrollment 1908-09

Course Description 1908-09

ECONOMICS 9b Year-end Examination, 1908-09

Problems of Labor: previous semesters

Course Description 1908-09

Course Enrollment 1908-09

ECONOMICS 9a1 Mid-Year Examination, 1908-09

Charles J. Bullock’s earlier public finance exams at Harvard

Course Enrollment 1908-09

Course Description 1908-09

ECONOMICS 7 Year-end Examination, 1908-09

HARVARD UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

Application for Candidacy for the Degree of Ph.D.

General examination, Departmental Report

Transcript of Paul A. Samuelson in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

HARVARD UNIVERSITY THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

1935-36

1936-37

Notice of Time and Place of Special Examination

Special examination, Division Report

Course Names and Instructors (1935-36)

Course Names and Instructors (1936-37)

Monographs/Books on Transportation by W. Z. Ripley

Earlier exams etc. for Economics 5 (Economics of Transportation), etc.

….etc.

Course Enrollment 1908-09

ECONOMICS 51 Mid-year Examination, 1908-09

Best biographical sketch

Good morning Vietnam

A Memorial Statement by Harvard President Derek C. Bok March 1982

HARVARD UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

Application for Candidacy for the Degree of Ph.D.

Partial transcript of Arthur Smities in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

1932-33

Proposed change in Mr. Smithies’ plan: [undated]

General examination, Departmental Report

General examination passed

HARVARD UNIVERSITY Department of Economics

Special examination, Division Report

Certificate of completed thesis apparently misplaced

Course Names and Instructors (1932-33)

Arthur Smithies Timeline of his life and career

Current Literature

Ph.D. in Economics, 1919

HARVARD UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

Application for Candidacy for the Degree of Ph.D.

Record of JOHN HENRY WILLIAMS in the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Certification of reading knowledge of French

HARVARD UNIVERSITY Department of Economics

General examination passed

HARVARD UNIVERSITY Department of Economics

Willing to take a professorship at Lafayette College if offered.

Department of Commerce Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce Washington

Dean Haskins reply to Williams

Undated File Note Presumably late June 1918.

Division asks Carver to Read Williams’ thesis

Taussig’s Daughter to wed in November 1918. Good time to schedule Williams’ Special Examination

HARVARD UNIVERSITY Department of Economics

Dean Haskins Begins to Assemble Special Examination Committee

HARVARD UNIVERSITY Division of History, Government, and Economics

Division sets tentative dates for Special Examination

Division checking whether Taussig would be available for the Special Examination

Persons can serve on Special Examination Committee

UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION WASHINGTON

UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION WASHINGTON

Bullock has Taussig’s letter to him forwarded to Dean Haskins

HARVARD UNIVERSITY Department of Economics

Special Examination Date Change (to the Committee)

Special Examination Date Change (to Williams)

Special Examination Date Change (to Taussig)

Carver agrees to serve on Williams’ Special Examination Committee

HARVARD UNIVERSITY Department of Economics

DEGREE OF PH.D.
[Division requirements, 1904-05]

THE DEGREE OF PH.D. IN ECONOMICS
[1904-05]

An Analogous Artifact
from Columbia University

Other Corporations/Industrial Organization Related Posts
for William Z. Ripley

Course Enrollment
1908-09

Course Description
1908-09

ECONOMICS 9b
Year-end Examination, 1908-09

Problems of Labor:
previous semesters

Course Description
1908-09

Course Enrollment
1908-09

ECONOMICS 9a¹
Mid-Year Examination, 1908-09

Course Enrollment
1908-09

Course Description
1908-09

ECONOMICS 7
Year-end Examination, 1908-09

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

General examination,
Departmental Report

Transcript of Paul A. Samuelson in the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Notice of Time and Place
of Special Examination

Special examination,
Division Report

Course Names and Instructors
(1935-36)

Course Names and Instructors
(1936-37)

Course Enrollment
1908-09

ECONOMICS 5¹
Mid-year Examination, 1908-09

A Memorial Statement by
Harvard President Derek C. Bok
March 1982

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

Partial transcript of Arthur Smities in the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

General examination,
Departmental Report

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

Special examination,
Division Report

Certificate of completed thesis
apparently misplaced

Arthur Smithies
Timeline of his life and career

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

Record of JOHN HENRY WILLIAMS
in the Harvard Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences

Certification of reading knowledge
of French

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

Department of Commerce
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce
Washington

Undated File Note
Presumably late June 1918.

Division asks Carver
to Read Williams’ thesis

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Division of History, Government, and Economics

Division sets tentative dates for
Special Examination

Division checking whether
Taussig would be available for the Special Examination

Persons can serve on
Special Examination Committee

UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION
WASHINGTON

UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION
WASHINGTON

Bullock has Taussig’s letter to him
forwarded to Dean Haskins

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

Special Examination Date Change
(to the Committee)

Special Examination Date Change
(to Williams)

Special Examination Date Change
(to Taussig)

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

Bullock can’t make
the new Special Examination date

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

Carver agrees to new date for
Williams’ Special Examination

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION
WASHINGTON

Taussig needs to postpone
the Special Examination

Committee members informed of
Special Examination date change

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics

Notice to President’s Office
of the Award of Ph.D.

John Henry Williams
Timeline of his life and career

Course Enrollment
1908-09

HARVARD UNIVERSITY
ECONOMICS 3

ECONOMICS 3
Year-end Examination, 1908-09