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Charles Edward Merriam Jr. (1874–1953) was an American professor of
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
, founder of the behavioral approach to political science, a trainer of many graduate students, a prominent intellectual in the
Progressive Movement Progressivism is a left-leaning political philosophy and reform movement that seeks to advance the human condition through social reform. Adherents hold that progressivism has universal application and endeavor to spread this idea to huma ...
, and an advisor to several US Presidents. Upon his death, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called him "one of the outstanding political scientists in the country"."Dr. C.E. Merriam, Noted Educator," ''New York Times,'' January 9, 1953.


Early life and education

Charles Merriam was born in Hopkinton,
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
, on November 15, 1874,Manning, ''Historical Dictionary of American Propaganda,'' 2004, p. 182.Bishop and Gilbert, ''Chicago's Accomplishments and Leaders,'' 1932, p. 341.Kloppenberg and Fox, ''A Companion to American Thought,'' 1995, p. 449. to Charles Edward Merriam and Margaret Campbell Kirkwood Merriam. The Merriams traced their lineage to immigrants who settled in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
in 1638.Reagan, ''Designing a New America: The Origins of New Deal Planning, 1890–1943,'' 2000, p. 55. The father moved to Iowa in 1855, and served with the 12th Iowa Infantry Regiment in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. Charles and Margaret (both Presbyterians) were married in 1868. Charles E. Merriam Sr. owned a
dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and Common ...
store and was postmaster and president of the school board in Hopkinton. Charles Jr.'s elder brother was John C. Merriam (who became a noted
paleontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...
), and he had a younger sister, Susan Agnes Merriam. Merriam attended public school in Hopkinton. He graduated from Lenox College in 1893 (his father was a trustee of the school),Reagan, ''Designing a New America: The Origins of New Deal Planning, 1890–1943,'' 2000, p. 56. taught school for a year, and then returned to college to receive his
Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...
degree from the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
in 1895. He received his
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in 1897 and
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...
degree in 1900 from
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. He studied in Paris and Berlin in 1899 while completing his PhD. Among his mentors from whom he adopted much of his early political thought were Frank Johnson Goodnow,
Otto von Gierke Otto Friedrich von Gierke, born Otto Friedrich Gierke (11 January 1841 – 10 October 1921), was a German legal scholar and historian. He is considered today as one of the most influential and important legal scholars of the 19th and 20th centur ...
, and
James Harvey Robinson James Harvey Robinson (June 29, 1863 – February 16, 1936) was an American scholar of history who, with Charles Austin Beard, founded New History, a disciplinary approach that attempts to use history to understand contemporary problems, which ...
.Reagan, ''Designing a New America: The Origins of New Deal Planning, 1890–1943,'' 2000, p. 57. He married Elizabeth Hilda Doyle (of
Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
) in 1900.Pope, et al., ''Merriam Genealogy in England and America,'' 1906. pp. 294–95.


Career


Academic career and contributions

Merriam joined the faculty at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
in 1900 as the first member of the political science faculty. He authored ''A History of American Political Theories'' in 1903, a notable analysis of American political movements which strongly supported the emerging
Progressive movement Progressivism is a left-leaning political philosophy and reform movement that seeks to advance the human condition through social reform. Adherents hold that progressivism has universal application and endeavor to spread this idea to huma ...
. He moved up quickly in the department, reached the rank of full Professor in 1911, and served as chairman of the department of political science from 1911 until his retirement. From 1907 to 1911, he served as chairman of the College of Commerce and Administration (the precursor to the
Booth School of Business The University of Chicago Booth School of Business (branded as Chicago Booth) is the Postgraduate education, graduate business school of the University of Chicago, a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in ...
).Reagan, ''Designing a New America: The Origins of New Deal Planning, 1890–1943,'' 2000, p. 60. Merriam significantly influenced the discipline of political science in the United States during his years in academia. As two political scientists noted in their study of the discipline in 1985, "Merriam's hand can be seen in virtually every facet of modern political science."Seidelman and Harpham, ''Disenchanted Realists: Political Science and the American Crisis, 1884–1984,'' 1985, p. 109. "As much as any single scholar during this period, Merriam set the standard for how American democracy should be studied within the academy" was the assessment of Merriam's thinking on the discipline by another political scientist in 2008. The political scientist
Gabriel Almond Gabriel Abraham Almond (January 12, 1911 – December 25, 2002) was an American political scientist best known for his pioneering work on comparative politics, political development, and political culture. Biography Almond was born on January 12, ...
concluded, "The Chicago school is generally acknowledged to have been the founding influence in the history of modern political science, and Charles E. Merriam is generally recognized as the founder and shaper of the Chicago school."Almond, ''Ventures in Political Science: Narratives and Reflections,'' 2002, p. 70. Merriam was a leading advocate of the use of data and quantitative analysis in the practice of political science (even though he himself had almost no training in mathematics or statistics),Smith, ''Social Science in the Crucible: The American Debate Over Objectivity and Purpose, 1918–1941,'' 1994, p. 84. and he founded the behavioralistic approach to political science.Pearson, "Introduction to the Transaction Edition," in Merriam, ''A History of American Political Theories,'' 2008, p. xxi; Rossini, ''Woodrow Wilson and the American Myth in Italy: Culture, Diplomacy, and War Propaganda,'' 2008, p. 114; Seidelman and Harpham, ''Disenchanted Realists: Political Science and the American Crisis, 1884–1984,'' 1985, p. 110. Merriam "denied the utility of theory" and advocated instead a "practical" political science aimed at creating a more harmonious, democratic, and pluralistic society. A corollary to this thinking was his "vision of social scientists as technical advisors to society's political leaders." Merriam also deeply influenced the administration of political science in academia. He assembled a faculty that represented some of the best scholars of the day, and he and the faculty produced some of the brightest political scientists of the next generation, creating a department that dominated the discipline for 30 years. His influence was such that the department's structure, personnel, and reputation largely did not survive his retirement in 1940. He also pushed the discipline to move away from European-style theoretical discussion and into actual research, and he established the first social science interdisciplinary research institutes in the United States. He was also a leader in pursuing private grants and foundation money as a means of funding this research. According to
Harold Lasswell Harold Dwight Lasswell (February 13, 1902 – December 18, 1978) was an American political scientist and communications theorist. He earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy and economics and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He was a ...
, Merriam also promoted use of concepts from psychology to the field of political science. Merriam was a critic of the states system in the United States. He argued that the states system was a problem for cities, as the state governments neither governed the cities nor allowed the cities to govern themselves.


Local political career

Merriam was a member of the Chicago City Charter Convention of 1906. He was commissioned by the City Club of Chicago in 1906 to study Chicago's tax system, and later served as a vice president of that influential organization.Reagan, ''Designing a New America: The Origins of New Deal Planning, 1890–1943,'' 2000, p. 62. He served as a
Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the Law and government of Chicago, government of the Chicago, City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 Wards of the United States, wards to serve four-year t ...
alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
from the old 7th ward from 1909 to 1911,Ruble, ''Second Metropolis: Pragmatic Pluralism in Gilded Age Chicago, Silver Age Moscow, and Meiji Osaka,'' 2001, p. 239. winning office (in part) due to the success of his 1903 textbook. He served on two key committees (Crime and Finance), and also served on three important city commissions (City Expenditures, Harbor, and Waste). While serving on the Harbor Commission, he became acquainted with Frederic Delano, uncle of
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 ...
. He left office in 1911 to run (unsuccessfully) as a Republican for Mayor of Chicago. His campaign manager was Harold Ickes. Although he won the Republican primary by a very wide margin, he narrowly lost the general election to Carter Harrison IV Merriam and Ickes helped co-found the Illinois Progressive Party, and they supported
Robert M. La Follette Robert Marion La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), nicknamed "Fighting Bob," was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th governor of Wisconsin from 1901 to 1906. ...
for president until
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
defeated him for the Progressive Party nomination.Reagan, ''Designing a New America: The Origins of New Deal Planning, 1890–1943,'' 2000, p. 63. He campaigned for former President Theodore Roosevelt under the " Bull Moose" ticket in 1912. He again served as an alderman from the 7th ward from 1913 to 1917, albeit as an Independent rather than a Republican. In 1916, he established the Bureau of Public Efficiency, a private organization which helped establish many quasi-public corporations and organized the
Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States. As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, 10 boat docking harbors, two botanic conservat ...
. Merriam lost his bid for re-election as alderman after being defeated in the Republican primary by just five votes in 1917. He unsuccessfully ran again for mayor in 1919, losing the Republican primary to incumbent
William Hale Thompson William Hale Thompson (May 14, 1869 – March 19, 1944) was an American politician who served as mayor of Chicago from 1915 to 1923 and again from 1927 to 1931. Known as "Big Bill",Paul Reynolds (BBC journalist), Reynolds, Paul (November 29, 200 ...
.Bukowski, ''Big Bill Thompson, Chicago, and the Politics of Image,'' 1998, p. 3.


Federal service

Charles E. Merriam was an advisor to several presidents, and had a lengthy career in federal service. In 1911, 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. ...
offered him a seat on the Commission on Economy and Efficiency, a body established under the authority of the Civil Appropriations Act of 1910 to study the administration of the executive branch, but Merriam declined. In 1917, President
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
asked him to serve on the newly formed Tariff Commission (now the
United States International Trade Commission The United States International Trade Commission (USITC or I.T.C.) is an agency of the United States federal government that advises the legislative and executive branches on matters of trade. It was created by Congress in 1916 as the U.S. Tari ...
), but again he declined federal service. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the 43-year-old Merriam joined the US Army Signal Corps, was commissioned a captain, and served on the federal government's Aviation Examining Board for the Chicago region.Reagan, ''Designing a New America: The Origins of New Deal Planning, 1890–1943,'' 2000, p. 65. He was also on the federal government's
Committee on Public Information The Committee on Public Information (1917–1919), also known as the CPI or the Creel Committee, was an independent agency of the government of the United States under the Wilson administration created to influence public opinion to support the ...
, an independent government agency created to influence US public opinion and encourage American participation in World War I. From April to September 1918, he was American High Commissioner for Public Information in
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, where he developed
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
designed to sway Italian public opinion.Rossini, ''Woodrow Wilson and the American Myth in Italy: Culture, Diplomacy, and War Propaganda,'' 2008, p. 115. His mission was not only to encourage the Italian public to keep Italy in the war on the Allied side but also to undermine support for
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
and
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
political parties. He may even have used
Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...
money to help convince socialist leader
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...
to support the war. During his time in Rome, however, Merriam usurped the prerogatives of the US ambassador and embassy staff, and his repeated clashes caused him to be sent back to the United States after just six months in the post. Merriam claimed to be deeply shaken by his experiences in Italy, although he did not make clear in what way his views had changed. He also engaged in an
extramarital affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or solely em ...
while overseas, which led to marital problems. Back in Chicago, Merriam coordinated and edited a series of comparative studies by political scientists on the use of expertise in policy making, civic education, and public opinion. Merriam's contribution to the series, ''The Making of Citizens'' (1934), was highly laudatory of
Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...
,
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, and
Fascist Italy Fascist Italy () is a term which is used in historiography to describe the Kingdom of Italy between 1922 and 1943, when Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship. Th ...
's use of these tools to strengthen the sense of national purpose and achieve policy goals.Oren, ''Our Enemies and U.S.: America's Rivalries and the Making of Political Science,'' 2003, pp. 58–67. Merriam was highly critical of these regimes, though, and felt that a more scientific approach would avoid the
messianism Messianism is the belief in the advent of a messiah who acts as the savior of a group of people. Some religions also have messianism-related concepts. Religions with a messiah concept include Hinduism (Kalki), Judaism ( Mashiach), Christianity ( ...
on which these governments relied and strengthen democratic and pluralistic norms. He co-founded the Local Community Research Committee (LCRC) in 1923 with money from the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Foundation, he set up programs to collecting data on urban problems, and disseminating current policy ideas. He also helped organize the
Social Science Research Council The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is a US-based, independent, international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing research in the social sciences and related disciplines. Established in Manhattan in 1923, it maintains a headqua ...
(an outgrowth of the LCRC) in 1923 with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, and served as its first president in 1924. In 1929, he co-founded (again, with a grant from the Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Foundation) the Public Administration Clearing House, an umbrella group which fostered collaboration and communication among associations in the field of
public administration Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...
. Merriam served as president of the
American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political scientists in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, it publishes four ...
in 1925. That same year, he authored the book ''New Aspects of Politics'', which called for marshalling the resources of political science research in a search for solutions to pressing social issues. Merriam returned to government service in 1929, serving as vice chairman on
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...
's President's Research Committee on Social Trends (PRCST).Reagan, ''Designing a New America: The Origins of New Deal Planning, 1890–1943,'' 2000, p. 75.Featherman and Vinovskis, ''Social Science and Policy-Making: A Search for Relevance in the Twentieth Century,'' 2001, p. 30.Smelser and Gerstein, ''Behavioral and Social Science: Fifty Years of Discovery,'' 1986, p. vi. A landmark federal research initiative into demographics and emerging social issues, the PRCST "altered the direction and use of social science research in the United States." His relationship with Ickes allowed him to continue his service in the nation's capital under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. During the Great Depression, he was considered the country's most influential political scientist.Porter, ''The Cambridge History of Science,'' 2003, p. 317. In July 1933, Harold Ickes (now
United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natura ...
) appointed Merriam to serve on the National Planning Board (and its successors, the National Resources Board and the National Resources Planning Board)Davis, ''Ignoring the Apocalypse: Why Planning to Prevent Environmental Catastrophe Goes Astray,'' 2007, p. 55. Merriam was the body's most influential member. In this capacity, he helped draft proposals for an expansive
welfare state A welfare state is a form of government in which the State (polity), state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal oppor ...
. Although President Roosevelt approved of the plans and proposed implementing them in his " Four Freedoms" speech of January 6, 1941, the proposals were politically not viable and were never adopted. In 1934, Merriam served on the Commission of Inquiry on Public Service Personnel, a research group established by the Social Science Research Council to research, analyze, and make proposals regarding the federal
civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...
and civil service reform (with an eye to the innovations made by the
Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...
). The body was funded by the Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Foundation,Reagan, ''Designing a New America: The Origins of New Deal Planning, 1890–1943,'' 2000, pp. 210–12. and Luther Gulick was the Commission's research director. The group made a number of important proposals regarding civil service reform, although not all were adopted. It did spark interest in the
merit system The merit system is the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections. It is the opposite of the spoils system. History The earliest known example of a ...
, and many of its civil service reform proposals were adopted by several states. Merriam believed that part of the success or failure of the National Planning Board's proposals depended on the administrative capacity of the executive branch to adopt and push for the recommended policies.Ciepley, ''Liberalism in the Shadow of Totalitarianism,'' 2006, pp. 123–24. Therefore, Merriam began lobbying President Roosevelt for a commission to study the structure and functions of the executive. Roosevelt was very receptive to the idea. The
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
had struck down the
National Industrial Recovery Act The National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 (NIRA) was a US labor law and consumer law passed by the 73rd US Congress to authorize the president to regulate industry for fair wages and prices that would stimulate economic recovery. It als ...
(a key legislative accomplishment of the
New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
) in '' Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States'', 295 U.S. 495 (1935), and significantly limited the president's power to remove members of independent executive agencies in '' Panama Refining Co. v. Ryan'', 293 U.S. 388 (1935). Merriam assured the president that if he established a committee to review the administration of the executive branch, the committee's report could be written in such a way as to justify the president's reorganization goals while couching them in the neutral language of academic research. On March 22, 1936, Roosevelt established the Committee on Administrative Management (commonly known as the Brownlow Committee) and charged it with developing proposals for reorganizing the executive branch. Besides himself, the three-person committee consisted of
Louis Brownlow Louis Brownlow (August 29, 1879 – September 27, 1963) was an American author, political scientist, and consultant in the area of public administration. As chairman of the Committee on Administrative Management (better known as the Brownlow Comm ...
, and Luther Gulick.Shafritz, "The Brownlow Committee," in ''The Dictionary of Public Policy and Administration,'' 2004, p. 28. On January 10, 1937, the committee released its report. Famously declaring "The President needs help,"Rudalevige, ''The New Imperial Presidency: Renewing Presidential Power After Watergate,'' 2005, p. 43. the committee's report advocated a strong chief executive, including among its 37 recommendations significant expansion of the presidential staff, integration of managerial agencies into a single presidential office, expansion of the merit system, integration of all independent agencies into existing Cabinet departments, and modernization of federal accounting and financial practices.


Retirement and death

Charles Merriam retired from the University of Chicago in 1940, at the age of 66. He was the last director of the Lucy Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Fund, acting in that capacity from 1940 until its merger with the Rockefeller Foundation in 1949. Charles Merriam died on January 8, 1953, at Hilltop Hospital in Rockville,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
, after a long illness. He was survived by his daughter and three sons. He is buried at
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...
. The
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
picks a distinguished academic to honor with the Charles E. Merriam Award for Outstanding Public Policy Research.


Notable works

Merriam was a prolific author during his lifetime. Some of his more notable works include: * ''A History of American Political Theories.'' New York: MacMillan, 1903. * ''American Political Ideas: Studies in the Development of American Political Thought, 1865–1917''. New York: Macmillan. 1920. * ''The American Party System: An Introduction to the Study of Political Parties in the United States.'' New York: MacMillan, 1922. * ''Non-Voting: Causes and Methods of Control.'' Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1924. * ''New Aspects of Politics.'' Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1925. * ''The Making of Citizens: A Comparative Study of Methods of Civic Training.'' Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1931. * ''Civic Education in the United States.'' New York: Scribner, 1934.


Notes


References


Footnotes


Bibliography

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New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
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External links

*
"Charles E. Merriam – Political Science." The University of Chicago Faculty: A Centennial View. University of Chicago.
– Biography and photographs

* ttps://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/scrc/findingaids/view.php?eadid=ICU.SPCL.MERRIAMCE Guide to the Charles E. Merriam Papers 1893–1957at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merriam, Charles Edward 1874 births 1953 deaths People from Delaware County, Iowa Chicago City Council members Columbia University alumni American people of Scottish descent University of Chicago faculty University of Iowa alumni Illinois Progressives (1912) American city managers United States Army personnel of World War I Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel Illinois Republicans Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Social Science Research Council Lenox College alumni Members of the American Philosophical Society 20th-century American political scientists