In the previous post several external examiners for the honors B.A. degree at Swarthmore College in the 1940s were identified. That list included several prominent names, such as Paul Samuelson (MIT), Lloyd Metzler (Federal Reserve), Friedrich Lutz (Princeton), but also a repeat examiner was one Joseph David Coppock, considerably less prominent in the great sweep of 20th century economics. Never having heard of Coppock myself, I decided to dedicate this post to the academic and professional career of this Swarthmore alumnus (A.B., 1933) and Columbia University Ph.D. (1940).
His academic arc began with an instructorship in economics at his Swarthmore alma mater while completing his Columbia University doctoral degree and ended at Penn State University. Government service, including work as a civilian in uniform with the Office of Strategic Services during the Second World War, provided years of economic-policy experience. A link to a very interesting oral interview with Coppock at the Truman Presidential Library covering his government experience is included below.
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AEA Biographical Listing, 1969
Coppock, Joseph David, academic, government; b. Peru, Ind., 1909; A.B., Swarthmore Coll., 1933; M.A., Columbia, 1934, Ph.D., 1940. DOC. DIS. Government Agencies of Consumer Installment Credit, 1940. FIELDS 5, 1ab, 2d. PUB. International Economic Instability, 1962; Economics of the Business Firm, 1959; Foreign Trade of the Middle East, 1966. RES. International Economic Relations. Econ. Adv., U.S. Dept. State, 1945-53, 1961-62; prof. econs., Earlham Coll. [Richmond, Indiana], 1953-63, American U. Beirut, 1963-65, Pa. State U. Since 1965.
Source: Biographical Listings of Members [American Economic Association], American Economic Review, Vol. 59, No. 6 (1969). Handbook of the American Economic Association (Jan., 1970), p. 86.
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Joseph David Coppock
Books
Joseph D. Coppock, Government Agencies of Consumer Instalment Credit. Research Program of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Studies in Consumer Instalment Financing: Number Five (1940), p. xii.
From the author’s acknowledgment to doctoral dissertation published by NBER
Finally, I wish to thank Swarthmore College for granting me a leave of absence to participate in the National Bureau’s investigation of consumer instalment financing.
Joseph D. Coppock
Financial Research Staff
(National Bureau of Economic Research)
and
University of California
_____________, International Economic Instability: The Experience After World War 2(McGraw-Hill, 1962).
_____________, Economics of the Business Firm: Economics of Decision Making in the Business Enterprise(McGraw-Hill, 1959).
_____________, Foreign Trade of the Middle East: Instability and Growth, 1946-1962 (Economic Research Institute, American University of Beirut, 1966).
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From the Finding Aid to the Joseph D. Coppock Papers at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
The papers of Joseph D. Coppock relate primarily to his work with the U. S. Department of State, the Office of Price Administration, the War Production Board, and the National War College. International trade was the main focus of his work at the Department of State and the War Production Board. Most of the documents are memoranda and correspondence involving foreign trade, along with financial records, handwritten notes, reports, speech drafts, and a transcript of a debate. The papers also contain the syllabi used by Coppock during his tenure as a visiting professor at the National War College.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
1909 (February 10), Born in Peru, Indiana
1933 A.B., Swarthmore College
1940 Ph.D., Columbia University
1941 Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture
1942 Special Assistant to Vice Chairman, War Production Board
1943 Price Executive, Chemical and Drugs Division, Office of Price Administration
1945-1953 Economic Adviser, Office of International Trade Policy, U.S. Department of State
1946-1952 Member of U.S. delegation to Economic and Social Council of the United Nations: New York, Geneva, and Santiago
1951-1953 Visiting Professor, National War College
1965 Became professor of economics at Penn State University
2000 (July 31) Died in Redmond, Washington
Coppock took a position as a visiting professor at the National War College in 1951. While there, he served as the chairman of the Civilian Faculty. After his term at the National War College, Coppock worked as a visiting professor at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, and as a professor of economics at Earlham College in Indiana and at Pennsylvania State University.
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Research Tip:
Oral History Interview
Covering Coppock’s extensive experience as an economist in government
Oral History Interview with Joseph D. Coppock (July 29, 1974) by Richard D. McKinzie. Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum (Independence, Missouri).
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Image Source: Swarthmore College yearbook, Halcyon 1940, p. 11.