Rexford Guy Tugwell and the New Deal
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
Rexford Guy Tugwell, Professor of Economics at Columbia, joined the Roosevelt circle in March, 1932. He was an Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, 1933-34. He helped to write the National Industrial Recovery Act and the Agricultural Adjustment Act. He was an idea man; a publicist ; and an errand boy, bringing academicians, or their ideas, to Roosevelt. He was a member of several inderdepartamental boards.
Overestimations of Tugwell's influence rested on the assumption that his intellectual impact on Roosevelt was decisive. Roosevelt used or disregarded Tugwell's ideas as he saw fit. Some policies were in accord with Tugwell's thinking; it is impossible to measure the professor's impact on such matters. Roosevelt took no action on some of Tugwell's ideas, especially those involved in the institutional economist's concept of "conjecture." In one exceptional case, the field of fiscal policy, money, and banking, initial rejection of Tugwell's ideas was followed, to some extent, by thier implementation -- in the "Second" New Deal. Tugwell's impact in this instance was indirect -- he was largely responsible for Marriner S. Eccles' coming to Washington. [TRUNCATED]
Description
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University
License
Based on investigation of the BU Libraries' staff, this work is free of known copyright restrictions.