Title: George Simon Wehrwein Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1897-1944, 2001-2002

Creator:

• Wehrwein, George Simon, 1883-1945

Call Number: Wis Mss QT; M2002-105; PH 2446; PH 2541

Quantity: 9.2 c.f. (21 archives boxes); plus additions of 0.6 c.f., 109 photographs, 0.8 c.f. of negatives, and 1 piece of ephemera

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of George Simon Wehrwein, a specialist in agricultural economics who served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin, 1928-1944. Wehrwein participated in research, writing, and radio broadcasting on many topics, related to farms, agricultural policy, rural living, government, and economic aspects of the Bible. The materials document his education, academic career, writings, participation in professional groups and governmental organizations, and his personal and family life.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis000qt

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George S. Wehrwein, who was born in the town of Newton, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin in 1883, combined his two principal interests of agriculture and education when he became a professor of agricultural economics. Since this collection represents Wehrwein's preoccupation with agricultural and educational matters, his career may be described in five phases.

Educational Training: Wehrwein satisfied the academic requirements for four degrees awarded by educational institutions including: a teaching certificate from Oshkosh State Teachers college (1908) and his Bachelor's Degree (1913), his Master's Degree (1920), and his Ph.D. (1922) from the University of Wisconsin.

Teaching Assignments: During his teaching career, Wehrwein was employed as: an instructor in the Wisconsin public school system (1908-1913); an extension lecturer in agricultural marketing and co-operation at the University of Texas (1913-1917); an extension specialist in the Office of Farm Markets in the state of Washington (1917-1918); and a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Pennsylvania (1918-1919), at Northwestern University (1925-1928), and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1928-1944).

Research Projects: Wehrwein organized and participated in many research projects concerning land and agricultural problems. In 1912 he examined the marketing procedures involving the distribution of Wisconsin cheese. During his Texas residency, 1913-1917, Wehrwein investigated the social and economic factors causing farm tenancy in Travis County, Texas. For ten years, 1928-1938, he was affiliated with the Institute for Research and Land Economics and Public Utilities as a research associate investigating the character of agricultural and forest land, with special emphasis on land income, valuation and tenure. During his professorship at the University of Wisconsin, Wehrwein explored the following subjects: the resettlement of people in Langlade County, Wisconsin; village government in Wisconsin; the private sale of land before 1860; the relationship between farm population and national agricultural policies; the consolidation of Oconto County towns; the administration of rural zoning; and tax delinquency in relation to land use planning and the appraisal of special forest crop taxation in Wisconsin.

Publications: Besides these special research projects, Wehrwein authored books, wrote articles, published book reviews, and broadcast radio speeches concerning agricultural and land economics. In collaboration with Professor Richard T. Ely, he wrote Outlines of Land Economics, 1940; and Land Economics, 1941. Wehrwein published many articles in periodicals including:

Article	Magazine	Date
Farmer's Organizations in the Past	Wisconsin County Magazine	1912
The Decline in Rural Population	American Home Journal	1915?
What are the Facts about Arable Land	National Real Estate Journal	1923
Farm Tenancy in the United States	Public Affairs	1924
Tenancy versus Ownership as a Problem in Urban Land Utilization	American Academy of Political and Social Sciences	1930 March
County Boards Not Representative	Wisconsin Taxpayer	1934 March 15
Town Government in Wisconsin	The Blue Book	1935
Rural Zoning and Highway Planning	Better Roads	1936 January
The Rural-Urban Fringe	Economic Geography	1942 July

Wehrwein reviewed many books, including:

Book	Magazine	Date
The Tragedy of Waste by Stuart Chase	Journal of Land Economics	1927 August
Success on Irrigation Projects by J.A. Widtsoe	American Economic Review	1929 June
Agriculture in the Chicago Region by Edward A. Duddy	Journal of Farm Economics	1929 December
Economic and Social Aspects of Federal Reclamation by D. Lampen	American Economic Review	1930 December

During his radio broadcasts for the University of Wisconsin's College of Agriculture (primarily over Madison's WHA station), Wehrwein discussed the following topics:

Subject	Date	Station
Does marginal land affect the prosperity of the farmer?	1930 January 8	WHA (Madison)
What shall we do with Wisconsin's marginal farm land?	1930 January 15	WHA
What is the farmer's interest in recreational land?	1930 January 22	WHA
What is the trend in farm land values?	1930 February 21	WHA
What is the trend in farm mortgages?	1930 February 28	WHA
How Wisconsin farmers became farm owners	1930 May 13	WHA
What use is Wisconsin making of its recreational land?	1930 September 23	WHA
Let tourists and vacationists “farm” our land	1935 March 25	WHA
The uniformity clause and county government	1943 January 26	WHA

Professional Affiliations: Throughout his academic career, Wehrwein was affiliated with many professional organizations and governmental agencies, including: the presidency of the American Economic Association, 1941; memberships with the American Association of University Professors; the American Farm Economic Association, the Agricultural History Society, the Wisconsin State Planning Board, the Land Committee of the National Resources Committee; the vice-presidency of the American Society of Planning Officials; the chairmanship of the Midwest Land Tenure; and the editorship of the Journal of Land Economics and Public Utility. Wehrwein was affiliated with the Journal of Farm Economics after 1925 and directed the campaign to transfer the headquarters of this publication from Northwestern University to the University of Wisconsin, 1928.

This collection was received in multiple parts from the donor(s) and is organized into 4 major parts. These materials have not been physically interfiled and researchers might need to consult more than one part to locate similar materials.

• Part 1 (Wis Mss QT): Original Collection, 1897-1944
• Part 2 (M2002-105): Additions, 1936-1943, 2001-2002
• Part 3 (PH 2446): Additions, undated
• Part 4 (PH 2541): Additions, circa 1920

Acquisition Information

Original Collection presented by Mrs. George S. Wehrwein, Madison, Wisconsin, 1954. Additions presented by Mrs. George S. Wehrwein, 1959; the Rev. John Hendrickson, Madison, Wisconsin, 1965; and Austin Wehrwein, St. Paul, Minnesota. Accession Number: M59-135, M2002-105

Wis Mss QT	Part 1 (Wis Mss QT): Original Collection, 1897-1944 Physical Description: 8.4 c.f. (19 archives boxes and 4 volumes)  Scope and Content Note The Original Wehrwein collection is organized as Correspondence; Lecture and Course Plans; Speeches, Articles, and Reviews; and Research Notes, Studies and Reports, and Miscellaneous Materials. Correspondence: The Wehrwein correspondence, 1897-1944, is arranged by months. The correspondence relates to Wehrwein and his educational training, academic enterprises, literary endeavors, and family matters. The most disturbing correspondence concerns Wehrwein's financial controversies with Professor Richard T. Ely regarding the division of profits from their book, Land Economics. Describing his dissatisfaction with Ely's contributions to this manuscript in a letter dated February 1, 1939, Wehrwein catalogued his grievances against his collaborator: In all fairness to me you will have to admit that instead of a 50-50 division of labor or even a 3 to 12 division, the manuscript, as it has gone to the publishers, is at least 95 percent my work. To me has also fallen the work and expense of the illustrations and practically all the cost of typing the manuscript. Since I have returned to Madison it has taken practically all of my time to get the book under the deadline set by MacMillans, and even now not all the illustrations are at hand, nor is the bibliography begun. With this history before us I propose: (1) That in the forward or preface, over your signature, you state that “the present volume is practically all the work of my associate, George S. Wehrwein” etc... (2) That the order of the names be changed on the back title page, and any other place where the authors are mentioned. It is to be the Wehrwein-Ely Land Economics.(3) That royalties to be divided 50-50 until the time of your death; however, not less than two royalty payments in any case are to be divided in this manner. After that all the royalties are to fall to me or my family; my own fate, in other words, will not change the above arrangement. This modifies the statement made in your letter of May 2nd that after your death 2/3 of the royalties should go to me and 1/3 to your family. I'm not so much concerned about the royalties as having the book entirely my property and no “splitting of the bundle of rights” with anyone. Lecture and Course Plans: These folders include Professor Wehrwein's lecture and course plans for the subjects such as Land Income (Economics 221), Urban Land Economics 117, and Rural Regional Planning 192, that he taught at Wisconsin and at other institutions around the country. For instance he taught one summer session at the University of Colorado. Speeches, Articles, and Reviews: This box contains many of Wehrwein's speeches, articles, and book reviews that he published during his academic career, as well as a manuscript of Land Economics. Research Notes, Studies and Reports, and Miscellaneous Materials: These folders contain research notes for speeches and lectures on various topics such as land utilization. It also includes studies and reports concerning governmental, agricultural and land problems such as the consolidation of towns in Oconto County. The box contains Wehrwein's class notes, term papers, and examinations that he accumulated during his undergraduate and graduate days at the University of Wisconsin. It also includes newspaper clippings and releases relating to Wehrwein's activities and miscellaneous materials such as his 1940 membership certificate with the American Society of Planning Officials.
Box   1-16	Correspondence, 1897-1944, undated
Box   21	Bound volume of letters, 1910 September 28-1911 June 21
Box   17	Lectures and Course Plans
Box   21	Mimeographed class outlines of Land Income (Economics 221)
Box   21	County Zoning and Planning (Political Science 302 at the University of Chicago, 1940; Economics 177 at the University of Wisconsin, 1941)
Box   18	Speeches, Articles, and Reviews
Box   20	Manuscript of the Ely-Wehrwein Land Economics
Box   19	Research Notes, Studies and Reports, and Miscellaneous Materials
M2002-105	Part 2 (M2002-105): Additions, 1936-1943, 2001-2002 Physical Description: 0.6 c.f. (2 archives boxes)  Scope and Content Note: Handwritten notes, clippings, and illustrations assembled during the 1930s and 1940s for Wehrwein's lectures on the Bible, including the economic history of the Old Testament. Also includes a Wehrwein family genealogy (2001) and information on Wehrwein's induction into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame (2002).	⇧
Box   1 Folder   1	Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame induction, 2002
Box   1 Folder   2	Wehrwein family genealogy, 2001
Box   1 Folder   3	“The Economic Background”
Box   1 Folder   4	“Agriculture/Forestry/Occupations”
Box   1 Folder   5	“Land Utilization/Climate”
Box   1 Folder   6	“Law - I”
Box   1 Folder   7	“Law - II”
Box   1 Folder   8	“The Bible as a Book”
Box   1 Folder   9	“History of the Bible and its Books”
Box   2 Folder   1	“Record/Bibliography”
Box   2 Folder   2	“Saul, David, Solomon”
Box   2 Folder   3	“Prophets, Wisdom Literature, New Testament”
Box   2 Folder   4	Radio talks and miscellany
PH 2446	Part 3 (PH 2446): Additions, undated Physical Description: 0.8 c.f. (2 archives boxes)  Scope and Content Note: Unsorted negatives.	⇧
PH 2541	Part 4 (PH 2541): Additions, circa 1920 Physical Description: 109 photographs and 1 piece of ephemera (1 folder)  Scope and Content Note: Photographs of rural living and agricultural conditions in Texas, circa 1920, assembled by Professor Wehrwein. Images show white and African-American families, farm houses, cisterns, land erosion, and other scenes of depressed conditions. Some and possibly all are in the vicinity of Austin and Travis and Hays counties.	⇧