Guide To Social Security ARCHIVES

 EDWIN E. WITTE (1887-1960) PAPERS, 1905-1961

292 boxes including 8 volumes *

BIOGRAPHY
Edwin E.Witte -- economist, authority on labor legislation, and "father" of the Social Security Act -- was a product of Wisconsin. Born in Jefferson County, he was educated at the University of Wisconsin, and throughout his professional life was employed chiefly by the state and the university. During his long and impressive career he held many federal appointments on boards and committees, and was frequently a guest lecturer at other universities; but each of these positions was of comparatively short duration. Professor Witte never failed to return to Wisconsin to continue his work, resuming lectures at the university even after his official retirement.

Edwin E. Witte was born in a rural community in Jefferson County, January 4, 1887, the son of Emil and Anna (Yaeck) Witte, and graduated from the Watertown high school. He first entered the University of Wisconsin in 1905, and in 1909 was granted the A. B. degree, majoring in history. Coming under the influence of John R. Commons, he changed his major to economics when he became a graduate student, and while serving as a teaching assistant expressed a desire to specialize in labor legislation.

After spending two years in the graduate school, Witte entered the field that was to make him an economist of national reputation, -- highly regarded by both Labor and Management and frequently consulted by Government. Appointments were many and varied; the institutions and
agencies he influenced were important and far-reaching.(l) In 1912 he accepted his first full-time position, as statistician for the Industrial Commission of Wisconsin. He resigned to become secretary to Congressman John M. Nelson that same year; served as special investigator for the U. S. Commission on Industrial Relations between 1914 and 1915; (2) and was secretary of the Industrial Commission of Wisconsin from 1917 to 1922. Between 1922 and 1933 he was chief of the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. Then and later he wrote many Wisconsin laws relating to industry and job insurance.
_____________________________________________________________________________

(1) In Box 88 is a folder containing lists showing positions and appointments, dates, and institutions or agencies served.
(2) Special reports prepared by Witte for the U. S. Industrial Relations Commission, 1914-1915, (See page 43.)
* See additions, page 39.

THE PAPERS
The Edwin E. Witte papers, represented by 292 file boxes, comprise the great bulk of correspondence and research materials kept and used by Dr. Witte. With the exception of the diaries, written between 1905 and 1911, and one letter, July 30, 1914, the papers cover the years from 1921 until his death in 1960. They are almost entirely concerned with his professional work and are most voluminous following 1933, after he became a full-time teacher and began to undertake federal appointments.

In size, the correspondence constitutes 30 per cent of the collection, and Witte's research files make up another 56 per cent. Miscellaneous files such as articles, addresses, class lectures and studies account for 7 per cent; and the remainder is composed of his bibliographical card indexes. The small volumes contained in Box 88 add virtually nothing to the size of the collection; but these diaries of his student years have worth and interest that far outweigh their bulk.

Correspondence, Box 1-88

Dr. Witte's correspondents in the years between 1921 and 1960 included former students, teaching associates at Wisconsin and elsewhere, economists and social scientists working for both industry and the government, members of Congress, industrialists, arbitrators, and officers of organizations interested in labor legislation and social security. There are occasional letters from strangers referring to an article or speech by Witte, or asking him for advice, but in general, his correspondence was with individuals whom he knew or worked with professionally. There are practically no family letters, although correspondents who were acquainted with his family often made references to different members.

As a university teacher Witte had much correspondence with students working on thesis or seeking recommendations. In what were frequently long letters containing suggestions or criticisms for chapters, he often revealed his own thinking concerning social and economic problems. The same is true of his correspondence with other teachers, industrial relations experts, and government personnel, many of whom were once students of Witte's. He sometimes wrote at some length to clarify his position or to argue a point. The extent to which he explained his views is illustrated by a letter of July 14, 1945 to a former student, Joseph A. Todd, in which he discussed the international economic situation.

Throughout the correspondence there is information relating to the University of Wisconsin, particularly the Department of Economics, and to committees and studies. Since Professor Witte was often absent from, the campus, departmental secretaries as well as other faculty members wrote him of university affairs. During the retirement of John R. Commons, particularly from 1938 to 1944 while he was livi ng in Florida, Witte wrote him long and informative letters relating to the University and the field of economics.

There is correspondence relating to problems of the state of Wisconsin, particularly in the 1920's, when Witte was Legislative Reference Librarian, and in the 1930's when he served on the Planning Board and the Labor Relations Board. In 1935 he assisted Governor Philip F. LaFollette in preparing legislation relating to the Social Security Act. In fact, Witte was the author of a letter from La Follette to Franklin D. Roosevelt, October 29, 1935, setting forth ideas on appropriations for various federal aids under the act.

It was Witte's custom to file separately the correspondence relating to the numerous organizations, boards, and committees of which he was a member. These included private organizations and boards and committees connected with the university, the state, and the federal government. Although letters in these files are usually concerned with the organization or committee involved, many of them touch on social and economic problems beyond the work of the group itself. Since other members of the group were frequently economists also, it was natural that they and Witte should discuss issues when writing each other about organization or committee work. The files of the American Association for Labor Legislation and the Industrial Relations Research Association offer examples of this type of correspondence, where letters exchanged with John B. Andrews, Sumner Slichter, and Merlyn S. Pitzele contain more than just reference to association business.

In view of his reputation in the field of labor legislation, there is a surprisingly small amount of correspondence with labor leaders themselves. It is true Witte corresponded with men such as Mathew Wolf and William Green between 1925 and 1934 in regard to anti-injunction bills and unemployment insurance, and with Walter P. Reuther between 1957 and 1959 regarding the work of the UAW International Union and the UAW Public Review Board; but there is little evidence in the papers that leaders of organized labor kept in close contact with Witte, tried to influence his thinking, or were consulted by him. A letter of December 4, 1940 may help to explain this. To R. W. Leach Witte wrote, "It is part of my creed that in all matters affecting labor, the employer's point of view should be given just as much consideration as labor's point of view."

This is not to imply that letters dealing with labor problems and legislation are lacking. The labor relations theme is evident throughout the correspondence, as the following examples show: Witte corresponded with John B. Andrews, secretary of the American Association for Labor Legislation, frequently between 1929 and 1937; with Felix Frankfurter and Francis B. Sayer in 1928 in regard to the anti-injunction bill; with Summer H. Slichter from 1932 to 1956 concerning labor problems; with Dr. Leifur Magnusson of the International Labor Organization in 1938 relative to the attitude of business groups toward labor legislation; with Selig Perlman between 1938 and 1939 regarding the American labor movement; with Senator Paul Douglas from 1946 to 1949 in reference to the closed shop and the Taft-Hartley Act; and with Nathan Feinsinger in 1958 on .right-to-work legislation.

In his mole as mediator in disputes between labor and industry he corresponded to some extent with representatives of both labor and management; but only concerning cases on which he sat as arbitrator, and even then in a routine way. His written decisions, on the other hand, reveal his thinking in connection with labor disputes, as he sometimes went to some lengths to explain himself. He kept in.touch with other arbitrators and sometimes referred to cases and decisions. For instance, he and the lawyer, David A. Wolff, corresponded in 1945 and 1946. Wolff had worked with Witte in Detroit, and was mediator in the Chrysler strike of 1945.

Just as the theme of labor legislation runs through the correspondence, so also does the subject of social security. After he directed the writing of the original Social Security Act of 1935 Witte continued, in varying degrees, to keep in touch with its development and expansion. He remained in contact officially by virtue of his membership on the Advisory Council and his position as a consultant to the Social Security Board, and unofficially by reason of his long association with key personnel. Arthur J. Altmeyer, as commissioner of Social Security; I. S. Falk, Ewan Clague, and Wilbur Cohen of the Bureau of Research and Statistics; and Robert J. Myers of the actuarial division either asked for his opinion or sent him information concerning developments. Copies of inter-office communications were sometimes sent to Witte also, especially in connection with the work of the Advisory Council.

Social security amendments, financing, and studies were also the subjects of correspondence between Witte and individuals outside the government office. Problems were discussed with other professors such as William Haber of Michigan State, Elizabeth Brandeis Raushenbush of Wisconsin, and Theresa S. McMahon of Washington; with the lawyer, Herman Ekern; with the labor legislation expert, John B. Andrews; and with senators such as Robert M. LaFollette and Alexander Wiley. A letter, April 15, 1937, to Sir William Beveridge, director of the London School of Economics, discusses Beveridge's factual analysis of unemployment problems as related to the United States. These are simply examples of the many letters relating to the whole field of social security. Topics in the correspondence include almost every phase of the movement: old age and survivor's insurance, unemployment insurance, workmen's compensation, actuarial problems, pension plans, health services and insurance, and public assistance.

There follows, here, a list of many of the individuals with whom Witte corresponded. Because it was impossible to index the papers, this is not a complete list, nor do the inclusive years always represent all letters. It is believed, however, that this includes Witte's more significant correspondence, and that the years given will serve as a reliable guide to the researcher.(3)

Names preceeded by an asterisk are cataloged. Correspondence marked "G" appears in the general correspondence; that marked "SS" is in the social security correspondence. (4)

______________________________________________________________________________

3. Letters of tribute, February and March, 1957, on the occasion of Witte's retirement were kept by Mrs. Witte. The Manuscripts Library has a microfilm of these letters, and copies of replies to them appear in these papers in the general correspondence.

4. See Organization of the Papers, p. 9

Research Files, Boxes 89 - 254

Dr. Witte kept extensive files for his own use in doing research. The material in them covers practically every phase of his interest in industrial relations, social security, economics, and the relation of government to business. These files include clippings from newspapers, magazines, and the Congressional Record; mimeographed information; reprints of abstracts, articles; a studies; notes Witte made from speeches he heard or articles he read; student papers; and government documents, chiefly proposed Congressional bills and labor and social security leaflets.

As these files originally came to the Society they contained random copies of letters, articles, and addresses by Mr. Witte. Wherever these were found they were removed and placed in the general correspondence or were filed with articles and addresses. After conversations with associates and government personnel Witte sometimes jotted down his impressions of what had been said. Wherever these notes were found in the research files they, too, were removed and filed with general correspondence.

Miscellaneous Files, Boxes 254- 275

Materials included in the miscellaneous files are articles and addresses by Witte, examples of his class lectures and notes, studies made or compiled by Witte, student reports and term papers relating to the field in which he was particularly interested, and a manuscript copy of "The Courts and Labor Disputes, " his doctoral dissertation.

Before the Witte papers were given to the Society Mrs. Witte made bibliographies of government and non-government publications in the Witte library, and of articles and addresses by Dr. Witte. The latter included particularly articles and addresses relating to social security, injunctions, and trade union law. Copies of these bibliographies are in the miscellaneous files.

Card Files, Boxes 276 - 292

The card files kept by Dr. Witte represent bibliographies, with some notes, relating to each of the fields in which he was most interested: government and business, economics, industrial relations, and social security.


ORGANIZATION OF THE PAPERS

In general it had been Dr. Witte's custom to keep his correspondence filed alphabetically, by person, although in many instances, notably social security, he kept a separate correspondence file under that title.

In addition, he had files of correspondence relating to organizations, committees, and conferences under their respective titles; files of arbitration cases under company or case; and miscellaneous matters under subject or individual. An attempt has been made to draw all of these into an easily-usable whole, without completely destroying Witte's original intent.

The resulting arrangement is neither entirely chronological nor entirely alphabetical, and yet it is hoped that the order is clear and lends itself to convenient use. The only serious difficulty lies in the fact that the correspondence of some individuals, or that concerning some subjects, may be found in more than one place. The correspondence of Wilbur J. Cohen and the subject of social security is an example. Cohen was a student of Witte's at Wisconsin and was his research assistant while the Social Security Act was being written. During the years that Cohen remained in the social security offices in Washington, and later when he was professor at Michigan State, he and Witte exchanged long and comparatively frequent letters. Many of these Witte filed with the social security correspondence, and yet some may, also be found in the general correspondence. In addition, Cohen and Witte were both interested in some of the same organizations, and under the names of these there will also be Cohen correspondence. Examples are the American Gerontological Congress of 1951, the John B. Andrews Symposium, and the Federal Advisory Council.

The researcher is thus cautioned that correspondence relating to a particular person or to a particular subject may require search in more than one place. For use as a guide, on page ll is an outline of the organization of the Witte papers. The shelf list following this outline describes the contents of the papers in detail, with appropriate box numbers.

 Outline of the Organization of the Papers

I. CORRESPONDENCE
1. General correspondence (5) 1914, 1921-1961
2. Social security correspondence (5) 1934-1954
3. Arbitration cases (6)
4. Organizations and committees (other than University of Wisconsin, state of Wisconsin, United States) (7)
5. Wisconsin - University (7)
6. Wisconsin - State government (7)
7. United States - Federal government (7)

II. DIARIES AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

III. RESEARCH FILES (8)
1. Economics
2. Government
3. Industrial relations
4. Social security

IV. MISCELLANEOUS FILES (8)
1. Articles and addresses (5)
2. Bibliographies
3. Class lectures
4. Manuscript of Witte's doctoral dissertation
5. Studies and compilations (5)
6. Student reports

V. CARD FILES (9)

______________________________________________________________________________

5. Chronological by months.
6. Alphabetical by case. Correspondence, chronological by months, precedes other material on each case.
7. Alphabetical by organization, committee, or conference. Material chronological by months within each. Exception: NWLB cases are left in original order.
8. Alphabetical by subject.
9. Reboxed, but filed just as Witte kept them.

 ADDITIONS TO THE EDWIN E. WITTE PAPERS

Additions to the Witte papers were presented by Mrs. Edwin E. Witte, Madison, Wisconsin, July, 1963.

Transferred to the Society by the University of Wisconsin Press, Oct. 7, 1968.