Edwin Griswold Nourse
Encyclopedia
Edwin Griswold Nourse was an American economist. He served as the first chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors between 1946 and 1949.
, Nourse moved to a western suburb of Chicago
at the age of four months, and considered himself a Midwesterner. His father worked in the city as a supervisor of public school music. His sister, Alice Tisdale Hobart
, went on to become a bestselling novelist. In high school Nourse enjoyed English and history, and after spending a year at the Louis Institute
, went on to Cornell University
with an interest in civil engineering
. In 1903 he was caught in a wave of typhoid fever
that hit campus; upon his return he decided to simply get his A.B., but also took several classes at the College of Agriculture
.
Following college, Nourse taught for two years in high school, spent a year on graduate studies, and then came to teach at the Wharton School
, where he conceived of agricultural economics
. From there he transited through the University of South Dakota
, the University of Arkansas
, Iowa State College, and on to the University of Chicago
, where he received his Ph.D for the dissertation "Market Mechanism as a Factor in Price Determination". He continued to study and write about agricultural cooperation.
Nourse was a friend of Harold Moulton, the first president of the Brookings Institution
, and in 1923 he convinced Nourse to come work on the agriculture side of the Institute of Economics. He staye there until 1946, moving from the head of the agriculture division to director of Institute of Economics in 1929 and then vice president in 1942.
Two years later in July he met President Harry S. Truman
for the first time by way of Charles Griffith Ross
to speak about becoming member of the newly created Council of Economic Advisors; Nourse subsequently resigned from Brookings to become its first chairman, with Leon Keyserling
as his vice-chairman and John D. Clark as a member.
Biography
Born in Lockport, New YorkLockport (city), New York
Lockport is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 21,165 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from a set of Erie canal locks within the city. Lockport is the county seat of Niagara County and is surrounded by the town of Lockport...
, Nourse moved to a western suburb of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
at the age of four months, and considered himself a Midwesterner. His father worked in the city as a supervisor of public school music. His sister, Alice Tisdale Hobart
Alice Tisdale Hobart
Alice Tisdale Hobart born Alice Nourse in Lockport, New York, was an American novelist. Her most famous book, Oil for the Lamps of China , which was also made into a film, drew heavily on her experiences as the wife of an American oil executive in China amid the turmoil of the overthrow of the...
, went on to become a bestselling novelist. In high school Nourse enjoyed English and history, and after spending a year at the Louis Institute
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
, went on to Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
with an interest in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
. In 1903 he was caught in a wave of typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
that hit campus; upon his return he decided to simply get his A.B., but also took several classes at the College of Agriculture
Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
The New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is a statutory college at Cornell University, a private university located in Ithaca, New York...
.
Following college, Nourse taught for two years in high school, spent a year on graduate studies, and then came to teach at the Wharton School
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton was the world’s first collegiate business school and the first business school in the United States...
, where he conceived of agricultural economics
Agricultural economics
Agricultural economics originally applied the principles of economics to the production of crops and livestock — a discipline known as agronomics. Agronomics was a branch of economics that specifically dealt with land usage. It focused on maximizing the crop yield while maintaining a good soil...
. From there he transited through the University of South Dakota
University of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota ', the state’s oldest university, was founded in 1862 and classes began in 1882. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, USD is home to South Dakota's only medical school and law school. USD is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, and its current...
, the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, Iowa State College, and on to the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he received his Ph.D for the dissertation "Market Mechanism as a Factor in Price Determination". He continued to study and write about agricultural cooperation.
Nourse was a friend of Harold Moulton, the first president of the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
, and in 1923 he convinced Nourse to come work on the agriculture side of the Institute of Economics. He staye there until 1946, moving from the head of the agriculture division to director of Institute of Economics in 1929 and then vice president in 1942.
Two years later in July he met President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
for the first time by way of Charles Griffith Ross
Charles Griffith Ross
Charles Griffith Ross was a White House Press Secretary between 1945 and 1950 for Harry S. Truman.-Early life:Ross graduated with Truman and Truman's eventual wife Bess Truman in Independence, Missouri from Independence High School Class of 1901...
to speak about becoming member of the newly created Council of Economic Advisors; Nourse subsequently resigned from Brookings to become its first chairman, with Leon Keyserling
Leon Keyserling
Leon Hirsch Keyserling was an American economist and lawyer. During his career he helped draft major pieces of New Deal legislation and advised President Harry S. Truman as head of the Council of Economic Advisers....
as his vice-chairman and John D. Clark as a member.