James Peter Warbasse (November 22, 1866 – February 22, 1957) was an American

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

and advocate for

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

s. He founded the Cooperative League of the United States of America (which later became the National Cooperative Business Association) and was its president from 1916 to 1941.

Early life

Warbasse was born on November 22, 1866, in

Newton, New Jersey Newton, officially the ''Town of Newton'', is an Local government in the United States, incorporated municipality in and the county seat of Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex CountyWarbasse, James, ''Three Voyages'', Cooperative League of the USA, 1956.

Early career

Warbasse graduated from the

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (officially known as Columbia University Roy and Diana Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons) is the medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irvin ...

in 1889. From 1889 to 1891 he interned at the Methodist Episcopal Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Warbasse did postgraduate work under surgeon

Franz König Franz König (3 August 1905 – 13 March 2004) was an Austrian Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of Vienna from 1956 to 1985, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1958. The last surviving cardinal elevated by Pope Joh ...

and pathologist Johannes Orth in Göttingen, Germany and in

Vienna, Austria Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

under Theodor Billroth. He established a private practice in 1892. In 1898, Warbasse served as acting assistant surgeon in the Seventh Army Corps of the U.S. Army during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

in Cuba and Florida. The following year, he was captain and assistant surgeon of the 13th regiment of the New York Artillery. Warbasse married Agnes Louise Dyer, daughter of Henry Knight Dyer on April 15, 1903. Warbasse became chief surgeon of the German Hospital of Brooklyn in 1906. He was the editor of the New York State Journal of Medicine from 1905 to 1909. Though born into the privileged class of early New England heritage, Warbasse was a tireless advocate for social equality and economic democracy. In 1911, Warbasse was a member of the "Recruiting Local" No. 174 of the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

. In the 1910s, he published essays on ''The Socialization of Medicine'' and ''Conserving Health versus Exploiting Disease''. He was a supporter of animal research and an opponent of limitations on the use of dogs. He was also involved with the Socialist Party. In 1913 he wrote a pamphlet entitled ''The Ethics of Sabotage'' and aided textile mill strikers in

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. At the 2020 census, New Bedford had a population of 101,079, making it the state's ninth-l ...

.Brown, Theodore M
James Peter Warbasse.
''

American Journal of Public Health The ''American Journal of Public Health'' is a monthly peer-reviewed public health journal published by the American Public Health Association that covers health policy and public health. The journal was established in 1911 and its stated mission ...

''. January 1996. Warbasse founded the Cooperative League of the U.S.A. in New York City in 1916 with his wife Agnes, baker and author Alfred Sonnichsen and other progressive organizers. Warbasse, genuinely seeking a solution to the world's inequalities, ultimately rejected socialism, anarchism and radical unionism in favor of cooperative economics as the best model for creating an inclusive economy in the context of preserving personal freedom and political autonomy.

Cooperative life and career

An advocate against militarism, Warbasse was expelled from the Kings County, New York Medical Society in 1918 for writing a letter to the Long Island Medical Journal critical of compulsory military training. The Kings County Medical Society apologized to Dr. Warbasse in 1930, rescinded his expulsion and expunged from their records all evidence of their having expelled him. As leader of the Cooperative League, Warbasse went on to become one of the most influential cooperative leaders of the 20th century. He was a sought public speaker at colleges, union halls and at gatherings of medical professionals. He represented the Cooperative League to the International Cooperative Alliance for many years while holding cooperative topical discussions for his friends and neighbors during the summers at his home in Woods Hole. Warbasse's friends and associates included

Big Bill Haywood William Dudley Haywood (February 4, 1869 – May 18, 1928), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American labor organizer and founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and a member of the executive committee of the Socia ...

of the Industrial Workers of the World,

W. E. B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relativel ...

and

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

. The home he shared with his wife Agnes and their six children, bustled with the comings and goings of neighborhood pals and distinguished guests. Warbasse wrote many books throughout his career, including a three volume text on surgical practices and about 100 scientific and clinical papers. In the 1930s, he was invited by 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 ...

to serve on the Consumer Board of the

National Recovery Administration The National Recovery Administration (NRA) was a prime agency established by U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) in 1933. The goal of the administration was to eliminate "cut throat competition" by bringing industry, labor, and governmen ...

. In 1955, Warbasse was named

Humanist of the Year The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism. The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defend the constitutiona ...

by the

American Humanist Association The American Humanist Association (AHA) is a 501(c) organization, non-profit organization in the United States that advances secular humanism. The American Humanist Association was founded in 1941 and currently provides legal assistance to defe ...

, just the third person to receive the honor. Warbasse officiated at his daughter Vera's wedding in 1937.

Death and legacy

Warbasse died on February 22, 1957, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame in 1976. The Amalgamated Warbasse Houses in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York are named for him.

Bibliography

* ''Medical Sociology: A Series of Observations Touching upon the Sociology of Health and the Relations of Medicine to Society'', D. Appleton & Company, 1909 * ''The Conquest of Disease through Animal Experimentation'', D. Appleton & Company, 1910 * ''Surgical Treatment: A Practical Treatise on the Therapy of Surgical Diseases for the Use of Practitioners and Students of Surgery'', W.B. Saunders Co., 1918 * ''What is Cooperation?'', Vanguard, 1927 * ''Co-Operative Democracy through Voluntary Association of the People as Consumers'', Macmillan, 1927 * ''The Doctor and the Public'', Paul B. Hoeber, Inc, New York, 1935 * ''The Cooperative Way, a Method of World Reconstruction'', Barnes & Noble, 1946 * ''Poems of the Family Circle'', New York Profile Press, 1946 * ''Cooperative Peace'', Cooperative Publishing Association, 1950 * ''Three Voyages: The Story of an Inquiring Soul'' (autobiography), 1956 * ''Cooperative Medicine''

References