Vervon Orval Watts (1898-1993) was a faithful libertarian disciple of Harvard economics professor Thomas Nixon Carver. One of his course outlines from his time at Antioch College in Ohio has been transcribed and posted earlier.
In this post you will find the paper record of Watts’ march through the Division of History, Government and Economics that was rewarded with the award of a Ph.D. by the department of economics in 1932.
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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.
Vervon Orval Watts, March 25, 1898, Walkerton, [Ontario] Can.
II. Academic Career: (Mention, with dates inclusive, colleges or other higher institutions of learning attended; and teaching positions held.)
University of Manitoba, 1914-1918; Harvard University, 1921—
Teaching Positions: Brandon College, Jan. 1 – July 1, 1919; Gilbert Plains, high school, 1919-1921; Harvard, Assistant in Economics, 1923-24 (Asst.); 1926-27 (gr.); T + T 1927-29.
III. Degrees already attained. (Mention institutions and dates.)
A.B., University of Manitoba, 1918
A.M., Harvard University, 1923.
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.)
History:— Greek + Roman, 1 course; European, 2 1/2 courses; English History, 2 courses; Canadian History 1/2 course.
Economics:— Courses in Theory, Economic History, Public Finance, Money + Banking, Foreign Trade + Finance.
Government:— 1 course, Logic:— 1 course.
Languages:— Greek + Latin.
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 and Its History.
At Harvard – Ec. 11, Ec. 14; at Manitoba – course in Theory + its History. Private Reading. - Public Finance.
At Harvard, Ec. 31; at Manitoba – 1 course. Private Reading. - International Trade + Tariff Policy.
At Harvard – Ec. 9b, Ec. 39;
At Manitoba – 1 course; Private Reading. - Economics of Agriculture.
At Harvard – Ec. 9a, Ec. 32;
– Assistant in Ec. 9a, 1923,
Private Reading. - Sociology.
At Harvard, Ec. 8,
–Assistant in Ec. 8, 1923
Private Reading.
- History of England since the Reign of Henry VII.
At Harvard: Hist. 12; Auditor in Hist. S9 + Hist. 11.
At Manitoba: 1 course
Teaching of English History in high school; Private Reading.
VII. Special Subject for the special examination.
Sociology.
VIII. Thesis Subject. (State the subject and mention the instructor who knows most about your work upon it.)
The Development of the Technological Concepts of Production in Anglo-American Thought.
IX. Examinations. (Indicate any preferences as to the time of the general and special examinations.)
I should prefer the General Examination not before Feb. 1. Middle of March or few days after. [Handwritten note: “May 27/32”]
X. Remarks
Professor Carver.
Signature of a member of the Division certifying approval of the above outline of subjects.
[signed] T. N. Carver
* * * [Last page of application] * * *
[Not to be filled out by the applicant]
Name: Vervon Orval Watts
Approved: January 11, 1924
Ability to use French certified by C. J. Bullock, May 29, 1923.
Ability to use German certified by C. J. Bullock, May 29, 1923.
Date of general examination Monday, March 31, 1924. Passed. T.N.C.
Thesis received March 28, 1932
Read by Professors Carver and Taussig
Approved May 16, 1932
Date of special examination Friday, May 27, 1932
Recommended for the Doctorate June 9, 1932
Degree conferred June 23, 1932
Remarks. [left blank]
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Certification of reading knowledge
of French and German for Ph.D.
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics
Cambridge, Massachusetts
May 29, 1923
Dear Haskins:
This is to certify that I have examined Mr. V. O. Watts and find that he has such a knowledge of French and German as we require of candidates for the Ph.D. degree.
Very sincerely yours
[signed]
C. J. Bullock
Dean C. H. Haskins
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
General Examination, date and
examiners
[carbon copy]
Division of History, Government, & Economics
Harvard University
21 March 1924
My dear Mr. Watts:
We are arranging your general examination for the Ph.D. in Economics for Monday, 31 March, at 4 p.m. Your committee will consist of Professors Carver (chairman), Abbott, Williams, Bullock, and Dr. Meriam.
Very truly yours,
[unsigned copy]
Secretary of the Division
Mr. V. O. Watts
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
General Examination
Information Sent to Examiners
[carbon copy]
Division of History, Government, and Economics
Harvard University
24 University Hall
25 March 1924
My dear Professor [blank]
Since the Ph.D. pamphlet is not yet out, I am sending you herewith the information which will appear in it about V. O. Watts, whose general examination is to be held on Monday, 31 March, at 4 p.m.
Very truly yours,
Secretary of the Division.
Carver
Abbott
Williams
Bullock
Meriam
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
General Examination, Watts Reminder
[carbon copy]
27 March 1924
My dear Mr. Watts:
This is to remind you that your general examination for the Ph.D. in Economics is to be held on Monday, 31 March, at 4 p.m. in Widener N.
Very truly yours,
Secretary of the Division
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
General Examination, Carver Reminder
[carbon copy]
27 March 1924
My dear Professor Carver:
This is to remind you that you are chairman of the committee for the general examination of Mr. V. O. Watts for the Ph.D. in Economics, to be held on Monday, 31 March, at 4 p.m., in Widener N. I enclose Mr. Watts’s papers herewith. The other members of the committee are Professors Abbott, Williams, Bullock, and Dr. Meriam.
Very truly yours,
Secretary of the Division.
Professor T. N. Carver
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Passed General Examination
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Department of Economics
Cambridge, Massachusetts
April 1, 1924
Dear Professor Haskins:
I beg to report that the general examination for the Ph.D. degree of Mr. Vernon [sic] Orval Watts was held in Widener N, Monday afternoon, March 31. The committee voted unanimously to accept Mr. Watt’s examination as satisfactory.
Signed: T.N. Carver
Chairman of the Committee
Dean C. H. Haskins
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thesis summary still needed
[carbon copy]
March 29, 1932
Dear Mr. Watts:
Your thesis has arrived in good shape. I do not find any summary with it, however. Each thesis is required to be accompanied by a summary, not over 1200 words, which is later published by the University, along with others, in a volume. I note that you have a Digest at the beginning of your thesis; perhaps you intended this to be the summary. However, it should not be bound in with the thesis, and the form should be consecutive and not in outline as you have it. It will be a simple matter for you to re-write this Digest into an appropriate summary.
I believe I wrote you as to the date for your examination, May 27. I should be glad to hear from you confirming this, as the pamphlet goes to press soon, and I cannot hold dates open after April 1st.
Sincerely yours,
Secretary
Mr. V. O. Watts
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Last-minute thesis preparation
Antioch college
Yellow Springs
Ohio
March 5, 1932
Secretary of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Dear Sir:
I have almost completed my doctoral dissertation in the field of economics, and I wish to be informed if there are any rules concerning the nature of the binding for the volume.
I am writing the thesis in Sociology under Professor Carver. Shall I send it to you or to him when it has been completed?
Very truly yours,
[signed] V. Orval Watts
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Scheduling Special Examination
Antioch college
Yellow Springs
Ohio
March 15, 1932
Miss Helen Prescott
772 Widener Memorial Library
Harvard University
Cambridge, Mass.
Dear Miss Prescott:
I should like to have my special examination placed at the end of May or the beginning of June if that will be convenient for Professor Carver.
Sincerely yours,
[signed] V. Orval Watts
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V. O Watts: Apology for late thesis summary
Antioch college
Yellow Springs
Ohio
March 31, 1932
Dear Miss Prescott:
I regret that my delay in writing you and in sending the summary of my thesis should have caused you the trouble and annoyance of writing me age in about it. For the past two weeks I have been exceedingly busy finishing the thesis while carrying the work of four courses. We also have an economics seminar which meets every week and I am serving on two faculty committees, one of which meets every week.
At the last moment, moreover, last Tuesday, I decided to have most of the thesis re-typed because the previous typing had been so faint. It may have been that the chemicals which are used on that ripple-finish paper may have caused the ink to fade on the earlier copy. At any rate, the work of supervising the typing and doing the proof-reading in addition to my regular teaching load led me to postpone everything I could as long as possible. I sent the summary off yesterday by special delivery, however, so that you should have received it by April first.
I should very much appreciate it if you could let me know soon whether or not my thesis appears to be acceptable. I am naturally anxious about it, especially since the last half of it has been written without Professor Carver’s supervision. It has certain merits, I believe, but I am very conscious of its short-comings. It would have been better if I had showed the earlier drafts of it to Professor Carver to secure his criticisms and suggestions; but every time I wrote a chapter I saw so many things I knew myself should be corrected that I disliked to show it to him, or to any one whose good opinion I valued, until I had done it as well as I could with it myself. In fact I still wanted to give it another revision before turning it in.
I trust that you and your sister are well. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that you were working with Professor Carver again. I am looking forward to seeing you and him again this spring, and I may bring my family along with me.
Very truly yours
[signed] V. Orval Watts
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Letter to Carver
Antioch college
Yellow Springs
Ohio
April 8, 1932
Professor Carver:
Professor Taussig read a short article I wrote in criticism of Stuart Chase’s Tragedy of Waste when I first considered the topic of waste as a thesis subject. At that time my ideas concerning my plan of procedure were vague, and Professor Taussig merely approved the general subject of economic waste as one worthy of further development. I did not return for further conferences with him.
Most of my conferences, other than those with yourself, were with Professor Young, whom I used to consult frequently during the last year he was at Harvard. The distinction between the economic and the engineering point of view and the historical approach which I took are largely the result of those conferences.
I had several conferences with Professor R. B. Perry of the philosophy department, and he read and discussed at some length with me the first chapter. Professor Mason also read a few of my earlier essays, and I had a few talks with him concerning the general subject. I have felt, however, that he never approved
either of me or of my ideas. Professor Black has stated the central idea of my thesis — the distinction between the economic and technological points of view — more clearly than any one else with whose work I am familiar, but I never had any conferences with him.
It seems to me that, all things considered, Professor Taussig is the most logical choice in the Economics Department for the examining board. He is very conscientious and honest in his criticisms and evaluations of students, yet I believe he is just and sympathetic towards new ideas.
I feel more keenly than ever at this time the loss of Professor Young, and I realize now that I may have made a mistake in not seeking the advice of Professor Taussig in writing my thesis after Professor Young left us. I always felt very reluctant to show my work to anyone, however, until I had done all I could with it myself. The distinction I have made in the thesis has not been clearly drawn by any other English writer, as far as I could discover, except by Professor Black, and I therefore felt it all the more necessary to state the idea as well as possible before
seeking criticism for it.
I expect to visit Cambridge and to see you and Professor Sorokin next Thursday or Friday. I am rather concerned about my ignorance of European sociology in view of Professor Sorokin’s interest in that field. I have been reading diligently in the history of sociological theory, but it is a very large field to cover, and I am hoping that Professor Sorokin may have some suggestions which will make my efforts more effective.
Sincerely yours,
[signed] V. Orval Watts
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V. O Watts: List of Positions
Antioch college
Yellow Springs
Ohio
May 3, 1932
Dear Miss Prescott:
I have just recalled that you asked me some time ago to send you a list of the positions I have held. If you wanted the list for the pamphlet which was being printed three weeks ago when I was in Cambridge it will be too late to send it now. But in case you may have a further use for it I am giving it herewith. You have my permission, however, to mention any or all of these titles if you wish.
1918-1919. Instructor, Brandon College, Canada
1919-1921. Assist. principal, Gilbert Plains High School, Gilbert Plains Canada.
1922-1923. Thayer Scholar, Harvard University
1924-1926. Instructor in Economics and Sociology, Clark University
1926-1927. Weld Scholar, Harvard University
1917-1929. Tutor in History, Government, and Economics, Harvard University
1929-1930. Lecturer in Economics and Sociology, Wellesley College
1930–. Assoc. Professor of Economics, Antioch College
As you may guess I am very anxious concerning the progress of my thesis through the gauntlet of the readers. I should very much appreciate it if I could obtain a hint of good news from the scene of action, but I suppose that the long list of theses presented this year is delaying the progress of all of them.
Yours sincerely,
[signed]
V. Orval Watts
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Passed Special Examination
The committee appointed to conduct the special examination of Mr. V. Orval Watts on Friday, May 27, 1932, voted unanimously to accept the examination. It was agreed by all three examiners that it was a brilliant examination..
Signed: T. N. Carver
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Antioch College informed
that Watts completed his Ph.D.
Antioch college
Yellow Springs
Ohio
Office of the President
June 6, 1932
Dr. T. N. Carver
Department of Economics,
Harvard University,
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Dear Dr. Carver:
I thank you for your note about Mr. V. O. Watts. It is good to know that he did so well. His interest and enthusiasm in his work with us make his scholarly qualifications all the more productive.
Sincerely yours,
[signed] Arthur E. Morgan,
President.
AEM:HG
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Ohio State Not Hiring
the ohio state university
George W. Wrightmeyer, President
Columbus
|
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS |
|
| M. B. Hammond | Alma Herbst |
| A. B. Wolfe | R. H. Rowntree |
| H. G. Hayes | J. D. Blanchard |
| H. F. Walradt | J. M. Whitsett |
| Grace S. M. Zorbaugh | H. J. Bittermann |
| F. E. Held | C. J. Botte |
| L. Edwin Smart | R. T. Stevens |
| E. L. Bowers | Louis Levine |
| R. L. Dewey | Maurice A. Freeman |
| C. L. James | R. L. Horne |
| R. D. Patton | Wm. H. Mautz |
| Louise Stitt | J. H. Sloan |
| Virgil Willit | |
June 6, 1932
Professor T. N. Carver
Department of Economics
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Dear Professor Carver:
I thank you for calling to my attention Mr. V. O. Watts, now teaching Economics at Antioch College. With your recommendation I do not doubt his ability to satisfy. However, the situation is about the same with us as it is at other western
institutions. We are not likely to make additions to the staff during the coming year. Those who are already employed are fighting hard to hold their jobs and there is a steady pressure on the part of graduate students to secure employment as assistants, readers, or in any other capacity, so that I do not anticipate any chance for Mr. Watts to find employment here. However, I will pass your letter to Dr. Bowers, who is acting chairman of the department, so that he can make use of it if there should be any change in the situation which calls for a new man.
I am, with best wishes,
Cordially yours,
[signed] M. B. Hammond
MBH:KU
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Record of V. O. Watts in the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
| 1921-22 | Course |
Half-Course |
|
Economics 9a |
|
A |
|
Economics 9b1 |
|
A |
|
Economics 11 |
B plus |
|
|
Economics 322 |
|
A |
|
Economics 392 |
|
A |
|
German A |
A minus |
|
| 1922-23 | Course |
Half-Course |
|
Economics 8 |
A |
|
|
Economics 14 |
A minus |
|
|
Economics 31 |
A |
|
|
History 12 |
A minus |
|
| 1923-24 | Course |
Half-Course |
|
Economics 20 |
|
|
Source: Harvard University Archives. Division of History, Government & Economics, Ph.D. Degrees Conferred 1929-30. (UA V 453.270), Box 12.
__________________________
Course Names and Instructors
1921-22
Economics 9a 1hf. Economics of Agriculture [primarily for undergraduates]. Professor Carver.
Economics 9b 1hf. International Trade and Tariff Policies. Professor Taussig.
Economics 11. Economic Theory. Professors Taussig and Young.
Economics 32 2hf. Economics of Agriculture [primarily for graduates]. Professor Carver.
Economics 39 2hf. International Finance. Asst. Professor Williams.
German A. Elementary Course. Professor Bierwirth et al.
1922-23
Economics 8. Principles of Sociology. Professor Carver.
Economics 14. History and Literature of Economics to the year 1848. Professor Bullock.
Economics 41. Statistical Theory and Analysis. Professors Young and Day.
History 12. The History of England from 1688 to the Present Time. Professor Abbott.
1923-24
Economics 20. Course of Research in Economics.
Image Source: Portrait of Vervon Orval Watts in the Harvard Class Album, 1932.