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Economists Fields Harvard

Harvard. Ph.D. Examination Candidates in Economics, 1913-1914

 

 

For seventeen Harvard economics Ph.D. candidates this posting provides information about their respective academic backgrounds, the six subjects of their general examinations along with the names of the examiners, the subject of their special subject, thesis subject and advisor(s) (where available).

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DIVISION OF HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
EXAMINATIONS FOR THE DEGREE OF PH.D.
1913-14

Notice of hour and place will be sent out three days in advance of each examination.
The hour will ordinarily be 4 p.m.

 

Arnold Warburton Lahee.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, February 25, 1914.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Taussig, Gay, Ripley, Anderson, and R. B. Perry.
Academic History: Harvard College, 1907-11; Harvard Graduate School, 1911-12, 1913—. A.B., Harvard, 1911; A.M. ibid., 1912. Assistant in Economics, Harvard, 1911-12; Professor of Economics, University of Vermont, 1912-13.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology. 4. Statistics. 5. Public Finance. 6. Philosophy.
Special Subject: Public Finance.
Thesis Subject: “Municipal Expenditures in Massachusetts.”

 

Rufus Stickney Tucker.

Special Examination in Economics, Thursday, April 30, 1914.
General Examination passed May 29, 1913.
Academic History: Harvard College, 1907-11; Harvard Graduate School, 1911-13. A.B., 1911; A.M., 1912. Assistant in Economics, 1913—.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory. 2. Statistics. 3. Money and Banking. 4. Economic History since 1750. 5. History of American Institutions. 6. Public Finance.
Special Subject: Public Finance.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Taussig, Sprague and Day.
Thesis Subject: “The Incidence of Taxes on Real Estate.” (With Professor Bullock).
Committee on Thesis: Professors Bullock, Taussig, and Day.

 

John Ise.

Special Examination in Economics, Friday, May 1, 1914.
General Examination passed May 2, 1913.
Academic History: University of Kansas, 1904-11; Harvard Graduate School, 1911—. Mus.B., Kansas, 1908; A.B., ibid., 1910; LL.B., ibid., 1911; A.M., Harvard, 1912. Assistant in Economics, 1912-13.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology and Social Reform. 4. Public Finance and Financial History. 5. Money, Banking, and Crises. 6. Jurisprudence.
Special Subject: Economics of Agriculture.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Turner, Gay, Carver, and James Ford.
Thesis Subject: “History of the Forestry Policy of the United States.”
Committee on Thesis: Professors Bullock, Turner, and R. T. Fisher.

 

Harry Rudolph Tosdal.

General Examination in Economics, Monday, May 4, 1914.
Committee: Professors Ripley (chairman), Taussig, Bullock, Sprague, and Holcombe.
Academic History: St. Olaf College, 1906-09; Universities of Berlin and Leipsic, 1911-12; Harvard Graduate School, 1913 (Jan.)—. S.B., St. Olaf College, 1909. Assistant in Economics, 1913.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Public Finance. 3. Economic History since 1750. 4. Transportation. 5. Municipal Government. 6. Industrial Organization.
Special Subject: Industrial Organization.
Thesis Subject: “The German Kartell Movement.” (With Professor Ripley.)

 

Robert Campbell Line.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, May 6, 1914.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Turner, Ripley, Day, and Anderson.
Academic History: University of Montana, 1906-10; Harvard Graduate School, 1910-12. A.B., Montana, 1910; A.M. Harvard, 1911. Instructor in Economics, Mt. Holyoke College, 1912—.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory. 2. Sociology. 3. Agricultural Economics. 4. Public Finance and Financial History. 5. Transportation and Foreign Commerce. 6. History of American Institutions since 1789.
Special Subject: Agricultural Economics.
Thesis Subject: “The Meat Supply of the United States.” (With Professor Carver.)

 

William Clifford Clark.

General Examination in Economics, Thursday, May 7, 1914.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Gay, Ripley, Munro, and Anderson.
Academic History: Queen’s University, 1906-12; Harvard Graduate School, 1912—. A.M., Queen’s, 1910. Tutor in Latin, Queen’s, 1910-12.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology. 4. Modern Government. 5. International Trade and Tariff Policy. 6. Labor Problems.
Special Subject: International Trade and Tariff Policy.
Thesis Subject: “The Canadian Grain Trade.”

 

Harley Leist Lutz.

Special Examination in Economics, Friday, May 8, 1914.
General Examination passed May 14, 1909.
Academic History: Oberlin College, 1904-07; Harvard Graduate School, 1907-09. A.B., Oberlin, 1907; A.M., Harvard, 1908. Austin Teaching Fellow, Harvard, 1908-09; Sheldon Travelling Fellow, 1911-12; Associate Professor of Economics, Oberlin, 1909—.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History to 1750, with special reference to England. 3. Sociology and Social Reform. 4. Money, Banking, and Commercial Crises. 5. Public Finance and Financial History. 6. History of American Institutions.
Special Subject: Public Finance.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Taussig, Sprague, and Day.
Thesis Subject: “State Control over the Assessment of Property, with special reference to the State Tax Commissions.” (With Professor Bullock.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Bullock, Day, and Holcombe.

 

Louis August Rufener.

General Examination in Economics, Monday, May 11, 1914.
Committee: Professors Ripley (chairman), Bullock, Gay, Munro, and Anderson.
Academic History: University of Kansas, 1907-12; Harvard Graduate School, 1912—. A.B., Kansas, 1911; A.M. ibid., 1912. Assistant in Economics, 1913—.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology. 4. Public Finance. 5. Labor Problems. 6. Municipal Government.
Special Subject: Labor Problems.
Thesis Subject: “The Work of the Massachusetts State Board of Conciliation and Arbitration.” (With Professor Ripley.)

 

Homer Bews Vanderblue.

General Examination in Economics, Monday, May 11, 1914.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Turner, Sprague, Day, and Dr. Copeland.
Academic History: Northwestern University, 1907-12; Harvard Graduate School, 1912—. A.B., Northwestern, 1911; A.M. ibid., 1912. Assistant in Economics, Harvard, 1913—.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Statistics. 3. History of American Institutions since 1789. 4. Economic History since 1750. 5. Commercial Organization. 6. Transportation.
Special Subject: Transportation.
Thesis Subject: “Railroad Valuation.” (With Professor F. W. Taussig and Mr. E. J. Rich.)

 

Eugene Mark Kayden.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, May 13, 1914.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Bullock, Gay, Ripley, and R. B. Perry.
Academic History: University of Colorado, 1908-12; Harvard Graduate School, 1912-13; Princeton Graduate School, 1913—. A.B., Colorado, 1912; A.M. Harvard, 1913.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Money and Banking. 4. Public Finance and Financial History. 5. Philosophy. 6. Labor Problems and Labor History.
Special Subject: Labor Problems.
Thesis Subject: “The Labor Movement in the United States, 1890-1912.” (With Professors Taussig and Ripley.)

 

Percy Gamble Kammerer.

General Examination in Economics (Social Ethics), Thursday, May 14, 1914.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Ripley, Day, Anderson, Foerster, and R. B. Perry.
Academic History: Harvard College, 1904-06, 1910-12; Harvard Graduate School, 1913(Feb.)—. A.B., 1908 (1913).
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Ethical Theory. 3. Poor Relief. 4. Social Reforms. 5. Sociology. 6. The Labor Questions.
Special Subject: Sociology.
Thesis Subject: (undecided).

 

Hermann Franklin Arens.

General Examination in Economics, Friday, May 15, 1914.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Sprague, Anderson, Foerster, and Yerkes.
Academic History: Harvard College, 1903-06; Episcopal Theological School, Cambridge, 1906-08; General Theological Seminary, New York, 1908-09; Harvard Graduate School, 1912—. A.B., Harvard, 1907; A.M. ibid., 1913. Assistant in Economics, Harvard, 1912-13; Assistant in Social Ethics, 1913—.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Sociology. 3. Socialism and Labor Problems. 4. Philosophy. 5. Agricultural Economics. 6. Money, Banking, and Commercial Crises.
Special Subject: Sociology.
Thesis Subject: (undecided).

 

Yamato Ichihashi.

Special Examination in Economics, Monday, May 18, 1914.
General Examination passed May 1, 1912.
Academic History: Leland Stanford Junior University, 1904-08; Harvard Graduate School, 1910-12. A.B., Stanford, 1907; A.M., ibid., 1908. Assistant in Economics, Stanford, 1908-10; Instructor in History and Government, ibid., 1913—.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology and Social Reform. 4. Statistics. 5. Anthropology. 6. Labor Problems and Industrial Organization.
Special Subject: Labor Problems.
Committee: Professors Ripley (chairman), Taussig, Bullock, James Ford, and Foerster.
Thesis Subject: “Emigration from Japan, and Japanese Immigration into the State of California.” (With Professor Ripley)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Ripley, Turner, and Carver.

 

Frederic Ernest Richter.

General Examination in Economics, Monday, May 18, 1914.
Committee: Professors Sprague (chairman), Turner, Gay, Day, and Anderson.
Academic History: Harvard College, 1909-13; Harvard Graduate School, 1913—. A.B., 1913. Assistant in Economics, Harvard, 1912—.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Statistics. 4. Money, Banking and Commercial Crises. 5. Economics of Corporations. 6. History of American Institutions since 1783.
Special Subject: Economics of Corporations.
Thesis Subject: “Underwriting and Marketing Securities in the United States and England.” (With Professor Sprague.)

 

Wesley Everett Rich.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, May 20, 1914.
Committee: Professors Bullock (chairman), Turner, Gay, Foerster, and Mr. W. C. Fisher.
Academic History: Wesleyan University, 1907-11; Harvard Graduate School, 1911—. A.B., Wesleyan, 1911; A.M. ibid., 1912. Assistant in Economics, Harvard, 1912-13.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology. 4. Public Finance. 5. Labor Problems and Socialism. 6. History of American Institutions.
Special Subject: Public Finance.
Thesis Subject: “The History of the United States Post Office.”

 

Ralph Cahoon Whitnack.

General Examination in Economics, Wednesday, May 20, 1914.
Committee: Professors Taussig (chairman), Ripley, Sprague, Day, and Anderson.
Academic History: Brown University, 1902-06; Harvard Graduate School, 1909-11, 1913—; Universities of Paris and Munich, 1912-13. A.B., Brown, 1906; A.M., Harvard, 1911. Austin Teaching Fellow in Economics, 1910-11; Instructor in Economics, Brown, 1911-12.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Money, Banking, and Crises. 4. Transportation and Foreign Commerce. 5. Ethics. 6. Sociology.
Special Subject: Theories of Distribution.
Thesis Subject: “Social Stratification.” (With Professors Taussig and Anderson.)

 

Johann Gottfried Ohsol.

Special Examination in Economics, Monday, May 25, 1914.
General Examination passed May 6, 1911.
Academic History: Polytechnic Institute of Riga, 1899-1903; Harvard Graduate School, 1909-11, 1912-13. Candidate in Commerce, Riga, 1903; A.M., Harvard, February, 1914.
General Subjects: 1. Economic Theory and its History. 2. Economic History since 1750. 3. Sociology and Social Reform. 4. Public Finance and Financial History. 5. Labor Problems and Industrial Organization. 6. History of American Institutions.
Special Subject: Labor Problems.
Committee: Professors Gay (chairman), Ripley, Foerster, and Holcombe.
Thesis Subject: “The Recent Agrarian Movement in Russia and its Historical Background.” (With Professor Gay.)
Committee on Thesis: Professors Gay, Ripley, and Wiener.

 

Source: Harvard University Archives. Harvard University, Examinations for the Ph.D. (HUC 7000.70), Folder “Examinations for the Ph.D., 1913-14”.

Image Source: Harvard Yard (between 1913 and 1920). Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

 

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Courses Exam Questions Harvard

Harvard. Introductory Economics, Final Exams. Taussig, 1914-1915

 

Frank W. Taussig played a central role in Harvard’s economics at two important stages. He was the lecturer for the entry-level Principles of Economics course for undergraduates and the core economic theory course for graduate students. In addition he covered the field of international economics.

The course announcement, enrollment figures, and the final examination questions for his principles course come from four different sources, three of which are available on-line. Over the past few weeks, I have posted corresponding material from the twenty economics courses offered at Harvard during the 1914-15 year for which the final examination questions had been printed and subsequently published.

The following year (1915) Edmund E. Day and R. S. Davis (who belonged to the team of instructors and assistants for this principles course) published their Questions on the Principles of Economics (New York, Macmillan) that was arranged by topics to follow Taussig’s own textbook Principles of Economics (Second, revised edition of 1915: Volume One; Volume Two).

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Course Announcement

Economics A. (formerly 1). Principles of Economics. Tu., Th., Sat., at 11.
Professor Taussig and Asst. Professor Day and five assistants.

Course A is introductory to the other courses. It is intended to give a general survey of the subject for those who take but one course in Economics, and also to prepare for the further study of the subject in advanced courses. It is usually taken with most profit by undergraduates in the second year of their college career. It may not be taken by Freshmen without the consent of the instructor. History 1 or Government 1, or both of these courses, will usually be taken to advantage before Economics A. [p. 61]

Course A gives a general introduction to economic study, and a general view of Economics for those who have not further time to give to the subject. It undertakes a consideration of the principles of production, distribution, exchange, money, banking, international trade, and taxation. The relations of labor and capital, the present organization of industry, and the recent currency legislation of the United States will be treated in outline.

The course will be conducted partly by lectures, partly by oral discussion in sections. A course of reading will be laid down, and weekly written exercises will test the work of students in following systematically and continuously the lectures and the prescribed reading. [p. 62]

Source: Division of History, Government, and Economics 1914-15. Official Register of Harvard University, Vol. XI, No. 1, Part 14 (May 19, 1914).

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Course Enrollment

[Economics] A. Professor Taussig and Asst. Professor Day, assisted by Dr. J. S. Davis, and Messrs. P. G. Wright, Burbank, Vanderblue, W. C. Clark, and Monroe.—Principles of Economics.

Total 491: 1 Graduate, 30 Seniors, 137 Juniors, 260 Sophomores, 11 Freshmen, 52 Others.

Source: Report of the President of Harvard College, 1914-15, p. 59.

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Mid-year Examination

ECONOMICS A

[Arrange your answers strictly in the order of the questions. Answer all the questions; be concise; plan your answers with care; and leave time for revision at the close.]

  1. In what ways, if at all, is the development of the complex division of labor connected with (a) the monotony of labor; (b) the Industrial Revolution; (c) integration of industry; (d) the recurrence of industrial crises?
  2. Explain: external economies; internal economies. Which set of economies is most significant for the explanation of (a) the localization of industry; (b) increasing returns; (c) the development of monopoly?
  3. If possible distinguish between

(a) diminishing returns and diminishing utility;
(b) by-product and joint product;
(c) joint cost and joint demand;
(d) “corners” and monopolies;
(e) median and arithmetical mean.

  1. Explain briefly the immediate and the ultimate effects (if any) which each of the following changes, taken separately, will tend to have on the price of cotton, cotton-seed oil, and cotton-mill machinery; (a) prohibition of organized speculation; (b) a change of fashion toward greater use of cotton fabrics; (c) doubling of the population of the country. (Assume for all three cases that there is no international trade, and that the quantity of money remains the same.)
  2. In what direction and by what process, if at all, would the following tend to affect the value of money in the United States; (a) increased demand for gold ornaments; (b) increasingly lavish expenditures by spendthrifts; (c) a continued drain of specie to the East; (d) a larger output of silver in the United States; (e) abolition of all legally required banking reserves?
  3. Under what conditions does inconvertible paper money circulate as readily as specie? Under what conditions, not as readily?
    Under what conditions is the value of inconvertible paper money as great as that of specie? Under what conditions is its value less than that of specie?
    State two indications of its having less value than specie. Which of the two is the more significant? Which is the more easily ascertained?
  4. State points of similarity, points of difference, between the Federal Reserve system and the English banking system as regards (a) centralization of reserves; (b) centralization of note issue; (c) measures available for preventing panics.
  5. Under what circumstances, if any, can a country have a permanent excess of imports? Under what circumstances, if any, a permanent outflow of specie? Does an excess of imports lead to an outflow of specie?
    Wherein, if at all, does a country gain or lose in its foreign trade (a) if prices and money incomes are higher than in foreign countries; (b) if prices and money incomes are lower?

Mid-Year. 1915.

Source: Harvard University Archives. Examination Papers in Economics, 1882-1935. Prof. F. W. Taussig. (HUC 7882). Scrapbook, p. 106.

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Final Examination

ECONOMICS A

Arrange your answers strictly in the order of the questions.
Answer all the questions.

  1. Explain concisely: —

diminishing returns,
margin of cultivation,
equilibrium of supply and demand,
economic rent.

  1. Construct a simple index number of prices for 1914, using 1908 as the base.

 

1908

1914
Wheat, bbl.

$8.00

$12.00
Coal, ton

8.00

8.00
Iron, ton

18.00

9.00
Lumber, 1000 feet

20.00

15.00
Meat, lb.

.20

.30
Sugar, lb.

.10

.10

(1) Would the index-number point to a rise or a fall in the value of money? (2) Would a Board of Arbitration be justified in recommending a change in wages? If so, on what basis? If not, why not?

  1. Under what circumstances, if under any, will the imposition of a import duty cause the price of the dutiable commodity to fall? Under what will it fail to affect the price? Under what will it cause the price to rise?
  2. To what cause or causes should you ascribe: —

(a) the high level of general wages in the United States;
(b) the high wages of skilled workmen such as plumbers;
(c) the high wages of domestic servants in the United States;
(d) the high wages of trained nurses.

  1. Why is saving no less advantageous for laborers than lavish expenditure? Why do laborers usually favor ” making work “?
  2. “The standard of living affects wages not directly, but ” — how?
    What evidence of varying standards of living appears in the statistics of births and deaths for different countries? for different social classes?
  3. “The special question presented in this regard by the trust movement seems to be whether large-scale management adds something to the gains from large-scale production in the narrower sense. Here, too, it would appear at first sight that the matter may be allowed to settle itself. Let them fight it out and let that form of organization survive which does the work most cheaply.”
    Explain (a) what is meant by large-scale management and large-scale production; (b) what grounds there are for saying that they should be allowed to fight it out, what grounds for saying that they should not; (c) what legislation has recently been enacted in the United States on this subject.
  4. “Important distinctions exist between full-fledged socialism and public management of selected industries.” What are the distinctions?

Final. 1915.

 

Source: Harvard University Examinations. Papers Set for Final Examinations in History, History of Science, Government, Economics, Philosophy, Psychology, Social Ethics, Education, Fine Arts, Music in Harvard College. June 1915, pp. 39-59.

Image Source: Frank W. Taussig in Harvard Class Album, 1915.