UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #131
ELLSWORTH, PAUL THEODORE

ELLSWORTH, Paul Theodore (1897-1991)
Professor of Economics
At UW: 1941-1967

Interviewed: 1978	
Interviewer: Donna Taylor
Length: 1 hour

Background and career; Appointment by Clarence Dykstra; Separation of Economics Department and School of Commerce; Economics Department issues.

Tape 1/Side 1

00:00:12	PE born in Vermont in 1897.  Went to high school in Seattle and college at the University of Washington, earning degree in economics.  Did graduate work at the University of Washington in psychology.  Earned Rhodes scholarship at Oxford in 1922.

00:03:11	PE returned to US in 1925 and earned graduate degree at Harvard.  Taught twenty years at Dartmouth, Harvard, Reed College, and University of Cincinnati.  Came to UW at urging of Clarence Dykstra in 1944.

00:07:13	Dykstra wanted PE to come to UW in 1944 as chairman of economics department, but PE declined to accept the administrative position. In 1944 economics and commerce were both in same department in L&S, and department members were involved in dispute over how two should be separated. Walter Morton and PE wanted some courses in department transferred to commerce, but Harold Groves, Edwin Witte, and Selig Perlman opposed the transfer. Within year, commerce became school of commerce and economics department of economics.

00:10:12	When Morton became increasingly obstreperous at departmental meeting, and opened departmental business and quarrels to public through editorials in Capitol Times, Mark Ingraham, L&S dean, and department chairman Edwin Young tried to move him to different department. In 1957, while Morton was in Puerto Rico, members of department met with E.B. Fred to consider removing Morton from department.  Fred took no immediate action. Upon Morton's return, he confronted PE about meeting, and subsequently didn't speak to him for several years. Morton frequently quarreled with department members over standards used to pass doctoral candidates.

00:16:19	PE, along with Walter Morton and Martin Bronfenbrenner, found Edwin Witte and Selig Perlman to be lax in evaluation of graduate students. Tells anecdotes re Witte, Perlman, and Jack Barbash.

00:19:18	Faculty in the economics department did not want Morton removed from UW, just from department. Martin Bronfenbrenner, who thought he had offended Mark Ingraham with an offensive remark, left UW.

00:21:51	PE thinks he should have been more steeped in math than he was.

00:24:48	PE does not know why economist Eugene Rotwein left UW. Elizabeth Brandeis very much a non-mathematical person. Was concerned primarily with social aspects of economics. Brandeis only at UW on half-time basis. PE liked several members of department, including Martin Bronfenbrenner, James Early, and Eugene Rotwein.  Even liked Morton early on.

00:28:54	PE taught Edwin Young, later to become department chair, in one of his courses. PE knew Young as student, professor, and department chairman.

00:29:44	End of side.

Tape 1/Side 2

00:30:10	PE did not say much at departmental meetings.  Served on only a few committees. PE taught Integrated Liberal Studies course with Royden Dangerfield, Richard Hartshorne, and James McCreedy.

00:32:35	PE at UW from 1944 through 1967, excluding five years on leave. PE left UW in June of 1967, joining James Early at University of California-Riverside.

00:34:00	PE liked President Fred as a person.  Found him strong in dealing with external affairs, weak re internal affairs. Morton's reaction to attempt by department to remove him was to stop attending departmental meetings.

00:35:43	Edwin Young returned to UW from University of Maine, where he had been president, to become chancellor.  This during crucial anti-war protest movement.

00:37:48	End of side.  End of tape.

END