Balthasar Henry Meyer (May 28, 1866 – February 9, 1954) was an American government official and professor of

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

and

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

. He served for 28 years as a member of the

Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later Trucking industry in the United States, truc ...

Early life

Meyer was born near

Mequon, Wisconsin Mequon () is the most populous city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 25,142 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on Lake Michigan's western shore with significant commercial developments along Int ...

, the son of Henry and Louise (Wiepking) Meyer. He attended Oshkosh State Normal School, receiving his bachelor's degree, and then took two degrees, including his doctorate in 1897, from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

, after doing graduate work at the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

in 1894–95. He taught school from 1884 to 1886. He was principal of the

Fredonia, Wisconsin Fredonia is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located on the Milwaukee River, the village is in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 2,279 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The community was the ...

, schools from 1887 to 1889. He was principal of the high school at

Port Washington, Wisconsin Port Washington is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Located on Lake Michigan's western shore east of Interstate 43, the community is a suburb in the Milwaukee metropolitan area north of Milwaukee. The c ...

, from 1889 to 1892. After receiving his degrees, he stayed on in Madison to be a sociology instructor. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1899, and to full professor of

political economy Political or comparative economy is a branch of political science and economics studying economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and national economies) and their governance by political systems (e.g. law, institutions, and government). Wi ...

in 1900. While there, he taught what is believed to be the first course in insurance in the United States. He married Alice Elizabeth Carlton of

Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Wauwatosa ( ; colloquially Tosa) is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 48,387 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Wauwatosa is a suburb located immediately west of Milwaukee and is part of the Milwa ...

, on August 29, 1901.

Government official

In 1905, he took leave from his professorship to become a member of the Wisconsin Railroad Commission, and then, in 1907, became its chairman. In 1910, President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

appointed him to the U.S. Railroad Security Commission. In 1910, Taft appointed him to the Interstate Commerce Commission. Confirmed by the Senate on December 21, 1910, he took the oath of office on December 31, 1910. Meyer was thereafter appointed to successive terms by Presidents Wilson, Coolidge, Hoover, and Franklin Roosevelt. Following his 1939 retirement, he served as a consultant and mediator for the transportation industry. Meyer also gave attention to improving the ICC's internal capabilities. Meyer and his ally, fellow Commissioner Franklin K. Lane, supported increasing the Commission's ability to compute marginal rates, and the Commission engaged noted economist Max O. Lorenz (inventor of the

Lorenz curve In economics, the Lorenz curve is a graphical representation of the distribution of income or of wealth. It was developed by Max O. Lorenz in 1905 for representing Economic inequality, inequality of the wealth distribution. The curve is a graph ...

) for this task. In 1937, Meyer was attacked by Senator

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

for allegedly giving a railroad attorney information about a 1932 Commission decision before it was publicly released. Meyer explained that while he had no recollection of the specific case, it was routine in uncontested cases such as this to give information to the applicant without waiting for a formal decision. While Meyer's fourth and final term expired in 1938, he continued to serve until the following year pending Senate confirmation of a replacement. President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

appointed Representative Thomas R. Amlie. The Amlie nomination proved contentious and was withdrawn, and Meyer, wishing to retire, resigned on May 1, 1939. Meyers wrote several books about the transportation industry, including ''Railroad Legislation in the United States'' (1903) and ''History of Transportation in the United States before 1860'' (1917). He was a member of the

American Economic Association The American Economic Association (AEA) is a learned society in the field of economics, with approximately 23,000 members. It publishes several peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Review, an ...

, the

American Academy of Political and Social Science The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmor ...

, the Wisconsin Academy of Letters Arts and Sciences, the Wisconsin Educational Round Table, the Wisconsin Teachers' Association, the Press Club of the University of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Writings and publications

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Balthasar H. 1866 births 1954 deaths People from Mequon, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty People of the Interstate Commerce Commission Writers from Wisconsin