The empirical questions behind most of the collection of archival artifacts found here at Economics in the Rear-view Mirror can be reduced to i) what was being taught ii) who was teaching it, and iii) what was the pattern of the courses actually taken by young economists. These artifacts can be thought of as occupying cell(s) in a matrix of year by academic institution, e.g. this post deals with question (iii) and will be filed in the Harvard, early 1920’s cell.
James Waterhouse Angell (1898-1986) was a Harvard and Chicago trained economist who joined the Columbia faculty upon receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1924. He was a member of Columbia’s faculty for over forty years, interrupted by government service during World War II at the War Production Board and the Foreign Economics Administration. More about his life and career can be read in his New York Times obituary (April 1, 1986)
With this post we have the record for Angell in Harvard’s Division of History, Government, and Economics. It provides us with a wealth of information about his academic training. There will be a flow of such records for other graduate students that promises to match the flow of syllabi and exams, the stock of which constitute the core of archival material.
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Autobiographical snippet
Angell’s personal statement in the 25th year anniversary report of the Harvard Class of 1918
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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.
James Waterhouse Angell. May 20, 1898. Chicago.
II. Academic Career: (Mention, with dates inclusive, colleges or other higher institutions of learning attended; and teaching positions held.)
Undergraduate: Harvard 1914-18. Graduate: University of Chicago, March 1919-June 1920; Harvard, September 1920-date. Teaching: Assistant in Economics, Univ. of Chicago, October 1919-June 1920.
III. Degrees already attained. (Mention institutions and dates.)
A.B. Harvard, 1918. [magna cum laude]
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.) In case you are a candidate for the degree in History, state the number of years you have studied preparatory and college Latin.)
History. Harvard: Hist. A, 30a. Government. Univ. of Chicago: Elementary Comp. Govt. Economics. Harvard: Economics A, 2a, 2b, 4b, 5a, 5b. Univ. of Chicago: Labor Problems, Money and Banking, Statistics.
Greek: Harvard: Greek G, A, 2, 8. Latin. Harvard: Latin B, 8. French. Harvard: French 2. Philosophy. Univ. of Chicago: Social and Political Philosophy. Psychology. Harvard: Psychology A, Univ. of Chicago: Social Psychology.
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. Harvard: Economics A, 11, 14; Univ. of Chicago: History of Econ. Thought. Teaching: Univ. of Chicago: 2 quarters of elementary theory, 1920.
- Economic History since 1750. Harvard: Economics 2a and 2b.
- Public Finance. Harvard: Economics 5a, 5b, 31
- Money and Banking. Harvard: Economics 38. Univ. of Chicago: Elementary Money & Banking. Also private reading.
- International Trade and Tariff Policy. Harvard: Economics 33; and private reading.
- [Constitutional] History of the U.S., 1789-1914. Univ. of Chicago. 3 quarters of graduate study. (A. D. Mr. Laughlin)
VII. Special Subject for the special examination.
Special subject either Economic Theory or Public Finance; to be specified later. Money and Banking
VIII. Thesis Subject. (State the subject and mention the instructor who knows most about your work upon it.)
International Price Levels (With Professors Taussig and Young)
IX. Examinations. (Indicate any preferences as to the time of the general and special examinations.)
General: Last week in October, 1921.
X. Remarks
[Left blank]
Signature of a member of the Division certifying approval of the above outline of subjects.
[signed] Edmund E. Day
* * * [Last page of application] * * *
[Not to be filled out by the applicant]
Name: James W. Angell
Approved: April 29, 1921
Ability to use French certified by Charles J. Bullock. 10 March, 1922 B.S.M.
Ability to use German certified by Charles J. Bullock, 10 March, 1922 B.S.M.
Date of general examination June 2, 1922 Passed A.A.Y.
Thesis received Oct. 15, 1923
Read by Professors Taussig, Young, and Persons
Approved October 29, 1921
Date of special examination Thursday, March 6, 1924. Passed A.A. Young
Recommended for the Doctorate[left blank]
Degree conferred [left blank]
Remarks. [left blank]
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Record of James Waterhouse Angell in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Harvard University
1920-21
| Economics 11. [Economic Theory, Prof. Taussig] |
A |
| Economics 14 [History and Literature of Economics to the year 1848, Prof. Bullock] |
A minus |
| Economics 31 [Public Finance, Prof. Bullock] |
A |
| Economics 331 [half course] [International Trade and Tariff Problems, Prof. Taussig] |
A |
| Economics 382 [half course] [Selected Monetary Problems, Prof. Young] |
A |
| Attained the degree of Master of Arts. | |
1921-22
| Economics 20 (F.W.T.) [Economic Research (for Ph.D. candidates)] |
A |
Note: A transcript can also be found in Harvard University Archives, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Record Cards of Students, 1895-1930, Aab—Belcher (UAV 161.2722.5). File I, Box 1, Record Card of James Waterhouse Angell.
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HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Committee on Economic Research
Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
| Charles J. Bullock, Chairman
Charles F. Adams |
W.M. Persons, Editor J.B. Hubbard, Editor F.Y. Presley |
March 10, 1922.
Professor Charles H. Haskins,
23 University Hall,
Cambridge, Mass.
This is to certify that I have examined Mr. J. W. Angell and find that he has such a knowledge of French and German as we require of candidates for the doctor’s degree.
[signed] Charles J. Bullock
CJB/AMB
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS
Cambridge, Massachusetts
6 June 1922
I beg to report that Mr. James W. Angell passed the General Examination in Economics held on Friday, 2 June. Mr. Angell’s examination clearly earned a pass, but it is proper to say that the examination was not as distinguished and the margin was not as large as Mr. Angell’s brilliant course record indicated it would be.
[signed by D.C. for] Allyn A. Young
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
[Carbon copy]
26 February 1924
My dear Professor Young:
We are arranging J.W. Angell’s special examination for Thursday, 6 March, at 4 p.m. I will let you know the place later. The committee will consist of Professors Taussig, Williams, Sprague, and yourself as chairman.
Very truly yours,
Secretary of the Division.
Professor A. A. Young
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS
Cambridge, Massachusetts
March 7, 1924
Dear Haskins:
On behalf of the committee appointed to conduct the special examination of Mr. J. W. Angell, I beg to report that Mr. Angell successfully passed the examination. I may add that the examination as a whole was unusually satisfactory.
Very truly yours,
[signed by k. for] Allyn A. Young
Dean C. H. Haskins
Source: Harvard University Archives. Division of History, Government, and Economics. Ph.D. exams and records of candidates, study plans, lists, etc. pre-1911-1942. Box 5. Folder “J. W. Angell.”
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Annotated Typescript for
Division of History, Government, and Economics
Examinations for the Degree of Ph.D. 1923-1924
JAMES WATERHOUSE ANGELL.
SPECIAL EXAMINATION in Economics, passed. Thursday, March 6, 1924.
GENERAL EXAMINATION passed June 2, 1922.
ACADEMIC HISTORY: Harvard College, 1914-18; University of Chicago, March, 1919, to June, 1920; Harvard Graduate School, 1920-23. A.B., 1918; A.M., 1921. Assistant in Economics, University of Chicago, 1919-20; Tutor in the Division of History, Government, and Economics, Harvard, 1921-22; Frederick Sheldon Travelling Fellow, Harvard, 1922-23; Instructor in Economics and Tutor in the Division of History, Government, and Economics, Harvard, 1923-4.
GENERAL SUBJECTS: 1. Economic Theory and Its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Public Finance. 4. Money and Banking. 5. International Trade and Tariff Policy. 6. American History since 1789.
SPECIAL SUBJECT: Money and Banking.
COMMITTEE: Professors Young (chairman), Taussig, Williams,
and Sprague.
THESIS SUBJECT: The Theory of International Prices and its History.
COMMITTEE ON THESIS: Professors Taussig, Young, and Persons.
Source: Harvard University Archives. Division of History, Government, and Economics. Ph.D. exams and records of candidates, study plans, lists, etc. pre-1911-1942. Box 5. Unmarked Envelope/Folder
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Image Source: James Waterhouse Angell’s July 18, 1922 U.S. passport application. National Archives.