Edward Thomas Devine (May 6, 1867 – February 27, 1948) was a professor at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

and American University who advocated for

social welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

Background

Edward Thomas Devine was born on May 6, 1867, on a farm near

Union, Iowa Union is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States. The population was 399 at the time of the 2020 census. History Union was laid out in 1868 and was incorporated as a town in 1874. Geography Union is located at (42.244715, -93.064240). ...

to John Devine of Ireland and Laura Hall of New York state. He attended

Cornell College Cornell College is a private college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell College, in honor of iron tyc ...

, where he received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four ye ...

in 1887 and a

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

in 1889. In 1889, the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universit ...

awarded him a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analy ...

Career

While studying for his doctorate, Devine became staff lecturer in economics for the American Society for the Extension of University Teaching, for which he also became secretary (1894-1896). In 1896, Devine became

general secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derive ...

of the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

chapter of the

Charity Organization Society The Charity Organisation Societies were founded in England in 1869 following the ' Goschen Minute' that sought to severely restrict outdoor relief distributed by the Poor Law Guardians. In the early 1870s a handful of local societies were formed ...

(COS). The school expanded from summer- to full-time curriculum. It became the New York School of Philanthropy and eventually the

Columbia University School of Social Work The Columbia University School of Social Work is the graduate school of social work of Columbia University. It is the nation's oldest social work program, with roots extending back to 1898, when the New York Charity Organization Society's first s ...

. Devine served there twice as director, 1904-1907 and 1912-1917, and also as professor of social economy, 1905-1919. COS achievements associated with Devine include: tenement house committee (1898),

New York State Tenement House Act One of the reforms of the Progressive Era, the New York State Tenement House Act of 1901 was one of the first such laws to ban the construction of dark, poorly ventilated tenement buildings in the state of New York. Among other sanctions, the law r ...

(1901), tuberculosis committee (1902), Department for the Improvement of Social Conditions (1907), and committee on criminal courts (1910). In 1904, outside of COS, Devine helped found a National Child Labor Committee as well as the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis. In 1910, he joined an advisory committee of the International Prison Congress. In 1912, he became chairman of a committee of social workers who lobbied successfully for passage of an act that created the federal

Commission on Industrial Relations The Commission on Industrial Relations (also known as the Walsh Commission) p. 12. was a commission created by the U.S. Congress on August 23, 1912, to scrutinize US labor law. The commission studied work conditions throughout the industrial Uni ...

. Devine served on disaster relief efforts by the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desig ...

, 1906-1917. Devine served on the

Federal Coal Commission The Federal Coal Commission was an agency of the Federal government of the United States of America, enacted by the U.S. Congress in September 1922 and headed by former U.S. Vice President Thomas R. Marshall. History Background On April 1, 19 ...

, 1922-1923. Devine was dean of the graduate school and a professor of

social economics Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their ...

at American University from 1926 to 1928. He directed Bellvue-Yorkville Health Demonstration, 1929-1930. He became director of the Housing Association of New York and vice chairman of the New York Committee of One Thousand ("a private reform body to investigate political corruption in New York City"), 1930-1931. He served as executive director of the Nassau County Emergency Work Bureau, 1931-1933, and of the country's Emergency Relief Bureau, 1933-1935.

Personal life and death

In 1889, Devine married Hattie Evelyn Scovill; they had two surviving children. Devine died age 79 on February 27, 1948, in

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated i ...

Works

In 1897, Devine founded and edited the journal ''Charities Review''. In 1905, it merged with ''Commons'' and in 1906 with ''Jewish Charity'' to emerge in 1907 as ''Survey''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devine, Edward Thomas 1867 births 1948 deaths Columbia University faculty University of Pennsylvania alumni Cornell College alumni American University faculty and staff American economists