Balthasar H. Meyer
Encyclopedia
Balthasar Henry Meyer was an American
government official and professor of economics
and sociology
. He served for 28 years as a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission
.
, 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, after doing graduate work at the University of Berlin
in 1894–95.
He taught school, 1884-1886. He was principal of the Fredonia, Wisconsin
, schools from 1887-1889. He was principal of the high school at Port Washington, Wisconsin
, 1889-1892. 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
in 1900. While there, he taught what was believed to be the first course in insurance in the United States. He married Alice Elizabeth Carlton of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
, on August 29, 1901.
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
) for this task.
In 1937, Meyer was attacked by Senator Harry S. Truman
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
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 The Amlie nomination proved contentious and was withdrawn, and Meyer, wishing to retire, resigned on May 1, 1939.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 Academy of Political and Social Science
, 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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government official and professor of economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
. He served for 28 years as a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
.
Early life
Meyer was born near Mequon, WisconsinMequon, Wisconsin
Mequon is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 21,823 at the 2000 census, and an estimated population of 23,739 in July 2009...
, the son of Henry and Louise (Wiepking) Meyer. He attended Oshkosh State Normal School
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is a public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers both bachelor and master degrees...
, receiving his bachelor's degree, and then took two degrees, including his doctorate in 1897, from the University of Wisconsin, after doing graduate work at the University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
in 1894–95.
He taught school, 1884-1886. He was principal of the Fredonia, Wisconsin
Fredonia, Wisconsin
Fredonia is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 1,934. The village identifies itself as the birthplace of Flag Day, and is the home of the National Flag Day Foundation.-Geography:...
, schools from 1887-1889. He was principal of the high school at Port Washington, Wisconsin
Port Washington, Wisconsin
Port Washington is the county seat of Ozaukee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city is about 25 miles north of Milwaukee and 110 miles north of Chicago. In the 2000 census Port Washington had a population of 10,467...
, 1889-1892. 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 economy
Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy...
in 1900. While there, he taught what was believed to be the first course in insurance in the United States. He married Alice Elizabeth Carlton of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Wauwatosa is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States, and was incorporated on May 27, 1897. As of the 2006 census estimate, the city's population was 44,798. Wauwatosa is located immediately west of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area...
, 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 TaftWilliam Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
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
Max O. Lorenz
Max Otto Lorenz was an American economist who developed the Lorenz curve in 1905 to describe income inequalities. He published this paper while a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison...
(inventor of the Lorenz curve
Lorenz curve
In economics, the Lorenz curve is a graphical representation of the cumulative distribution function of the empirical probability distribution of wealth; it is a graph showing the proportion of the distribution assumed by the bottom y% of the values...
) for this task.
In 1937, Meyer was attacked by Senator Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
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 D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
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
American Economic Association
The American Economic Association, or AEA, is a learned society in the field of economics, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. It publishes one of the most prestigious academic journals in economics: the American Economic Review...
, the American Academy of Political and Social Science
American Academy of Political and Social Science
The American Academy of Political and Social Science 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, Swarthmore College, and Bryn Mawr College, the Academy sought to...
, 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.