Delos Franklin Wilcox (April 22, 1873 in
Ida, Michigan – April 4, 1928
) was a
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
expert on municipal government.
Biography
He graduated from the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
in 1894, having been strongly influenced by
John Dewey
John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and Education reform, educational reformer. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the first half of the twentieth century.
The overridi ...
.
[ He took the degree of Ph.D. at ]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 ...
in 1896. He edited the Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
''Civic News'' from 1905 to 1907. From 1907 to 1913 he was chief of the bureau of franchises in the first district of the New York Civil Service Commission. From 1914 to 1917 he was deputy commissioner of the New York department of water supply, gas and electricity. In 1919-20 he served as an advisor to the Federal Electric Railways Commission.
Personal
He married Mina Gates in 1898, and four children survived him. He had an orchard at Elk Rapids, Michigan, which he gave much attention in later years.[
]
Works
He was a recognized authority on municipal government and wrote extensively on the subject. His works include:
* ''Municipal Government in Michigan and Ohio'', his Ph.D. thesis (1896)
* ''The Study of City Government'' (1897)
* ''Ethical Marriage'' (1900)
* ''The American City'' (1904)
* ''The Government of Great American Cities'' (1908)
* ''Municipal Franchises'' (2 vols., 1910–11)
* ''Great Cities in America: Their Problems and Their Government'' (1910)
* ''Government by all the People'' (1912)
* ''Public Ownership of Public Utilities'' (1919), with William Bennett Munro, John Martin, and Samuel Orace Dunn
* ''Analysis of the Electric Railway Problem'' (1921)
* ''Depreciation in Public Utilities'' (1925)
* ''The Indeterminate Permit in Relation to Home Rule and Public Ownership'' (1926)
* ''The Administration of Municipally Owned Utilities'', a pamphlet outlining a work in progress at his death[ (1931)
]
Notes
*
References
External links
Guide to the Delos Franklin Wilcox Papers 1907-1928
at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilcox, Delos Franklin
1873 births
1928 deaths
American editors
20th-century American non-fiction writers
Columbia University alumni
University of Michigan alumni
People from Monroe County, Michigan
20th-century American male writers
19th-century American male writers
19th-century American non-fiction writers