Title: Arthur P. Becker Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1936-1978

Creator:

• Becker, Arthur P.

Call Number: UWM Manuscript Collection 35

Quantity: 7 cubic ft. (9 boxes)
Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department

Archival Location:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Papers (mainly 1960-1975) of an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Extension from 1948-1956, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 1956-1978. The collection documents his professional and volunteer activities with groups such as the Committee on Taxation, Resources and Economic Development and the Wisconsin Property Owners League. Collection also contains Becker's personal and professional correspondence, conference materials, published and unpublished works, and teaching materials. Also contains records concerning UW-Milwaukee committees on which Becker served, including the Academic Program and Curriculum Committee and the Management Science Ph.D. Review Committee, and his role in founding the UWM Credit Union and his work with the Milwaukee Urban Observatory.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0035

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Arthur Peter Becker was born on April 28, 1918 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Peter Joseph and Theresa (Hanascek) Becker. Peter and Theresa were both born near Tremesvar, Austria-Hungary in 1892 and 1897, respectively. They emigrated to the United States sometime before 1917. Peter Becker owned and operated Park View Tailors and Cleaners at 3200 West Lisbon Avenue in Milwaukee. The Becker's also had another child, George C., born in 1917, who was a professor of biology at UW-Stevens Point. Peter Becker died in 1971 and Theresa Becker in 1972.

Arthur Becker graduated from Washington High School in 1935 and attended Wisconsin State Teacher's College from 1935 to 1937. He received a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from UW-Madison in economics in 1939, 1940 and 1943 respectively. Becker also served as a teaching assistant at UW-Madison. Becker married Bernita Mae Thompson in 1941 and they had six children: Jan Peter, Bonita Louise, Lee Arthur, Nancy Marie, Arthur Earnest, and Karen Ann.

Becker began his teaching career as an instructor at the University of Connecticut from 1942-1944. After serving as an instructor at the University of Kansas City in the summer of 1944, Becker transferred to Eastern New Mexico University in 1944-1945 as an assistant professor and chair of the economics department before moving to Morningside College (Sioux City, Iowa) from 1945-1946, where he served as professor of economics and also chaired the department. Becker then became a professor of economics at Ohio State University from 1946-1948. Becker was appointed professor at the University of Wisconsin-Extension from 1948 and then served with UWM from 1956-1978. Becker also served as head of the Economics Department at UW-Extension from 1948-1956 and at UWM from 1957-1963. Becker was a Fulbright-Hays Faculty Scholar in 1968 to study land taxation in Mexico.

Becker founded the Economic Policy Association of Milwaukee in 1954 and the UWM Credit Union in 1962. He served as a member of the Milwaukee Redevelopment Authority from 1963-1978, and its vice-chair from 1973-1978. He also served as chair of the Milwaukee Urban Institute Director from 1970-1975 and implemented a study of the fiscal behavior of local governments in conjunction with eight other Urban Observatories, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National League of Cities. He also served as Chair of the Milwaukee Association for the Observance of United Nations Day from 1965-1967, and the Milwaukee Chapter of United World Federalists.

Becker was especially active in the Committee on Taxation, Resources and Economic Development (TRED), and its affiliated association, the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation. The Schalkenbach Foundation was a foundation established to promote the principles of nineteenth century economist Henry George. George had dedicated his life's work to the advancement of uniform taxation, or a single tax, on natural resources. Becker served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Schalkenback Foundation from 1962-1973.

Becker co-founded TRED in 1962 as a national study group of academic economists whose purpose was to stimulate research, writing and discussion in the field of natural resource taxation and in relation of this taxation to other concerns of economists as to the allocation and utilization of natural resources, economic development, income distribution and employment. TRED would have the government finance its necessary activities by collecting the unearned income arising from land and natural resources. TRED asserted that an adequate tax on land would encourage speculators to put it to use or to sell it to someone who would; when land is used, jobs are created and prosperity results.

Becker frequently wrote in periodicals and books about land-value taxation. His monographs include:

• The Erosion of the Ad Valorem Real Estate Tax Base, 1972
• Land and Building Taxes; Their Effect on Economic Development, 1969
• Land-Value Taxation and Contemporary Economic Thought, (ed.), 1964
• Local Government Finance in the Milwaukee Standard Metropolitan Area, 1974
• Public Utility Valuation and the Economic Theory of Regulation; or The Economic Basis for an Investment Rate in Public Utilities, 1943
• Recent Developments in General Property Tax Assessments in California (ed.), 1965
• The Wisconsin State Tax Dilemma, 1963

Collection documents the professional and volunteer activities of Arthur Peter Becker, a professor of economics from 1948-1978 at the University of Wisconsin-Extension and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Most of the records date from 1960-1975.

Scope and content notes for each series are included in the contents list.

The collection is divided into 3 series:

1. General Files, 1944-1978
2. UW-Milwaukee Files, 1944-1978
3. Non-UW-Milwaukee Files, 1936-1978

There is some overlap between the first series and the last two. Becker sometimes put similar materials concerning his personal, professional, and UWM activities into general subject folders. In other cases, he maintained distinctly separate folders for his various activities.

In each series the material is arranged alphabetically by name, subject, or name of office, and chronologically thereunder. Boxes 1-8 contain letter-sized material and box 9 contains legal-sized material.

Citation Guide for Primary Sources

• UW-Extension Records. UWM Archival Collection 71.

• UW-Milwaukee Academic Program and Curriculum Committee Records. UWM Archival Collection 137.

• UW-Milwaukee Dept. of Economics Records. UWM Archival Collection 130.

• UW-Milwaukee Milwaukee Urban Observatory Records. UWM Archival Collection 73.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

An unknown donor donated the collection before 1989.

Processing Information

Mark Shelstad processed the collection from August to October 1992 at the Archives.

	Series: 1. General Files, 1944-1978 Scope and Content Note: These files contains a conglomeration of material in which Becker did not make distinctions between his personal, professional, and UWM activities. The series includes correspondence regarding the Taxation, Resources and Economic Development (TRED), and people associated with it, such as Weld Carter, Violetta Peterson and Perry Prentice (who was a Vice-President at Time magazine). The topics of discussion with Carter, Peterson and Prentice concern TRED Conferences, publication of books by TRED, and TRED's sometimes adversarial relationship with the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation. Becker's professional contacts with other economists can also be found in his correspondence. The general files series also contains miscellaneous files and photographs. The miscellaneous files contain materials that Becker filed in chronological order, without distinction between personal and professional activities. It contains correspondence with other economics and about TRED, memorandums from the UWM Economics Department and other UWM materials. The photographs are undated portraits shots of Becker.
	Academic Program and Curriculum Committee
Box   3 Folder   27	Audit Subcommittee, 1975-1976
Box   3 Folder   28-32	General File, 1973-1976
Box   3 Folder   33	Social Science Subcommittee, 1974-1976
Box   1 Folder   2	Alyea, Paul, 1962-1975
Box   1 Folder   1	Anderson, William H., 1961-1965
Box   3 Folder   34	Annual Summary of Academic Activities, 1962-1976
Box   1 Folder   3	Beck, Morris, 1966-1969
Box   1 Folder   4	Behrens, John, 1971-1975
Box   1 Folder   5	Berkman, Herman G., 1961-1963
Box   1 Folder   6	Bickley, John, 1966
Box   1 Folder   7	Break, George, 1966-1978
Box   1 Folder   8	Brown, Harry G., 1977-1978
Box   1 Folder   9	Browning, Clyde, 1962-1968
Box   1 Folder   13	Bruce, Paul, 1971
Box   1 Folder   10-12	Brueck, Robert L., 1966-1969
Box   1 Folder   14-17	Carter, Weld S., 1961-1978
Box   1 Folder   18	Cher, Yung-Ping, 1965-1972
	Classes
Box   3 Folder   35	Senior Seminar in Urban Economics, 1972-1973
Box   3 Folder   36	Urban Economics Seminar, 1973
Box   1 Folder   19	Cord, Steven, 1965-1977
Box   1 Folder   20	Doering, Werner W., 1967
Box   1 Folder   21-22	Doyle, Richard, 1975-1977
Box   1 Folder   23-24	Falk, Karl, 1961-1978
Box   1 Folder   25	Federal Reserve Bank Bill, 1959
Box   1 Folder   26	Fordemwalt, Andy, 1970-1973
Box   1 Folder   27	Fuller, Aaron, 1976
Box   1 Folder   28-29	Gaffney, M. Mason, 1962-1975
Box   1 Folder   30	Gaston, Paul, 1960-1963
Box   1 Folder   31	George, Henry, School of Social Science, 1965-1973
Box   1 Folder   32	Goldfinger, Alexander, 1972
Box   1 Folder   33	Gray, Horace, 1962-1970
Box   1 Folder   34	Groves, Harold, 1963-1969
Box   1 Folder   35	Harris, C. Lowell, 1969-1975
Box   1 Folder   36	Harris, Morgan, 1976
Box   1 Folder   37	Heilbrun, James, 1966-1967
Box   1 Folder   38	Hill, Carol V., 1970-1976
Box   1 Folder   39-40	Lampard, Eric, 1962-1966
Box   2 Folder   1-2	Lindholm, Richard, 1964-1977
Box   1 Folder   41	Lindholm, Richard, 1964-1977
Box   2 Folder   3	Lissner, Will, 1965-1978
Box   2 Folder   6	Mai, Ludwig, 1962-1969
Box   2 Folder   4	McCelland, Harold, 1970-1977
Box   2 Folder   5	McGuire, Carl, 1962-1974
Box   2 Folder   20	Millman, Jerome, 1961-1965
Box   2 Folder   7-18	Miscellaneous, 1944-1978
Box   3 Folder   12-18	Miscellaneous, 1964-1978
Box   2 Folder   19	Morrow, Lloyd, 1975-1977
Box   2 Folder   22	Neutze, Max, 1966-1969
Box   2 Folder   21	Newcomb, William, 1958-1978
Box   2 Folder   23-25	Peterson, Violetta, 1950-1976
Box   3 Folder   18	Photographs, undated
Box   2 Folder   26	Pleydell, Albert, 1963-1968
Box   2 Folder   27	Pollack, Richard, 1960-1972
Box   2 Folder   28-30	Prentice, Perry, 1966-1977
Box   2 Folder   31	Rodda, Albert S., 1974-1975
Box   2 Folder   33	Shapiro, Harvey, 1966-1968
Box   2 Folder   32	Sleastone, Don, 1966
Box   3 Folder   1	Smale, John G., 1961-1965
Box   3 Folder   2	Strasma, John, 1966-1967
Box   3 Folder   3	Teague, Keith, 1969-1973
Box   3 Folder   4	Tideman, Henry, 1972-1974
Box   3 Folder   5	Truehart, William, 1976-1977
Box   3 Folder   6	Vaqar, Nasrollah, 1961-1964
Box   3 Folder   7	Wasserman, Louis, 1951-1964
Box   3 Folder   8	Welch, Ronald B., 1966-1972
Box   3 Folder   9	Wolfe, Myer, 1962-1964
Box   3 Folder   10	Woodruff, A.M., 1965-1967
Box   3 Folder   11	Zingler, Ervin, 1961-1965
	Series: 2. UW-Milwaukee Files, 1944-1978 Scope and Content Note: These files include records of committees that Becker served on, such as the Academic Planning and Curriculum Committee, the Management Science Ph.D. Review Committee; subject files from the Economics Department, the Milwaukee Urban Observatory and the UWM Credit Union; and teaching material. The records reflect Becker's role as chair of the Social Science Subcommittee on the Academic Planning and Curriculum Committee; director of the Milwaukee Urban Observatory's Municipal Finance Project; and foundation of the UWM Credit Union.	⇧
Box   3 Folder   19	College of Letters and Science, Department Chair, Minutes, 1956-1962
	Credit Union
Box   3 Folder   37	Annual Meetings and Reports, 1962-1977
Box   4 Folder   1-2	Annual Meetings and Reports, 1962-1977
Box   4 Folder   3-5	Board of Director's Minutes, 1974-1978
Box   4 Folder   6	By-Laws, Guidelines and Policies, 1961-1971
Box   4 Folder   7	Insurance Policies, 1975
Box   4 Folder   8	Miscellaneous, 1974-1977
Box   4 Folder   9-10	Newsletters and Publicity, 1962-1978
Box   4 Folder   11	Operational Security Analysis, 1968
Box   4 Folder   12-18	Economics Department, 1958-1978
Box   4 Folder   20-21	Management Science Ph.D. Review Committee, 1972-1976
	Milwaukee Urban Observatory
Box   4 Folder   22	Municipal Finance Project, Director's Meeting Minutes, 1970-1973
Box   4 Folder   23-24	Municipal Finance Project, First Year Project, 1970-1973
Box   4 Folder   25-27	Municipal Finance Project, Miscellaneous, 1970-1975
Box   5 Folder   1	Municipal Finance Project, Prospectus, 1970
Box   5 Folder   4-7	Municipal Finance Project, Reports, Volume 1, 1973
Box   5 Folder   8	Municipal Finance Project, Reports, Volume 2, 1974
Box   5 Folder   9	Municipal Finance Project, Reports, Volume 3, 1975
Box   5 Folder   2-3	Municipal Finance Project, Second Year Project, 1971-1973
Box   5 Folder   10	Miscellaneous, 1944-1970
Box   5 Folder   11	University Economics Club, 1963
Box   5 Folder   12	Urban Planning Steering Committee, 1973
Box   5 Folder   13	Visitor Program Service Symposium, 1978
	Series: 3. Non-UW-Milwaukee Files, 1936-1978 Scope and Content Note: These files contain correspondence and subject files from Becker's service with institutions and organizations other than UW-Milwaukee. It includes teaching and class materials that Becker created while he was at UW-Madison. The series also contains files regarding his founding and development of the Taxation, Resources and Economic Development (TRED); miscellaneous committees and panels that Becker served on; various speeches, presentations that Becker gave before panels and committees; unpublished works; and his association with the Beloit Chapter of the Wisconsin Property Owners League, which favored using land-value taxation.	⇧
Box   5 Folder   14-15	Bibliography on Urban and Regional Economics, 1967-1968
Box   5 Folder   16	Collier's Encyclopedia, Articles, 1960-1967
Box   5 Folder   17	Curriculum Vitae and Bibliographical Listings, 1970-1978
Box   5 Folder   18	Institute on Land-Value Taxation and Contemporary Economic Problems Research, 1961-1965
Box   5 Folder   19-20	Letters of Appointment, 1940-1950
Box   5 Folder   21-23	Mayor's Citizen Committee for Tax Revenue Distribution, 1960-1964
Box   5 Folder   24	Men's Sketch Club of Milwaukee, 1960-1961
	Milwaukee Department of City Development, Redevelopment Plans
Box   9 Folder   1	Menomonee Valley Industrial Areas, "A-C," 1976-1978
Box   9 Folder   2	Menomonee Valley Industrial Areas, "E-F," 1976-1978
Box   9 Folder   3-4	Miscellaneous, 1978
Box   5 Folder   25	Special Committee on Assessment Freezes, 1964-1965
Box   9 Folder   26-27	Milwaukee Division of Economic Development, Public Finance Information System Proposal
Box   3 Folder   21	Morningside College Graduation Address, 1946
Box   5 Folder   28	National Tax Association, One Way to Better Cities Film, 1970
Box   5 Folder   29	New York City Land Value Tax Study, 1969-1979
	Ohio State University
Box   3 Folder   20	Economics 406, 1946
Box   5 Folder   30-31	Poetry and Writings, 1936-1939
Box   6 Folder   1	Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee, 1964, 1978
Box   6 Folder   2-13	Robert Schalkenbach Foundation, 1961-1978
Box   6 Folder   14	Seals of Membership in Honor Societies and Associations, 1967-1973
Box   6 Folder   15-21	Speeches and Presentations of Papers, 1947-1977
Box   6 Folder   22	State and Local Tax Problem Symposium, 1967
	TRED
Box   6 Folder   23	Book Sales and Prices, 1965-1977
Box   6 Folder   24-31	Conferences, 1962-1969
Box   7 Folder   1-7	Conferences, 1971-1978
Box   7 Folder   8	General File, 1963-1970
Box   3 Folder   19	University of Connecticut, Economics 111, 1943-1943
Box   3 Folder   23-26	University of Wisconsin, Class Papers, 1940-1942
Box   3 Folder   22	University of Wisconsin, Economics 250, 1941-1942
Box   7 Folder   9	University of Wisconsin, Press, 1965-1977
Box   8 Folder   1-2	University of Wisconsin, Press, 1965-1977
Box   8 Folder   3	Unpublished Manuscripts, 1948-1950
Box   8 Folder   3	Urban Affairs Quarterly, 1965-1974
Box   8 Folder   5	Urban Redevelopment Laws, 1964-1967
Box   9 Folder   5	Urban Redevelopment Laws, 1964-1967
Box   8 Folder   6	Wisconsin Land Resources Committee, 1972-1975
Box   8 Folder   7-10	Wisconsin Property Owners League, Beloit Chapter, 1969-1978