Profile Major Works Resources

Simon Nelson Patten, 1852-1922

Portrait of S.N. Patten

American historicist economist at Pennsylvania.

Chicago-born, farm-raised Simon Nelson Patten studied at Northwestern before traveling to Germany  (along with classmate E.J. James) to study at the University of Halle  in Germany.  Patten obtained his doctorate under Johannes Conrad in 1878.  Like many of the "new generation" of German-trained economists, Patten found the traditional American universities uninterested, and had to find alternative employment.  Patten returned to farming for a while, then found work as a high school teacher.

His old Halle comrade E.J. James had helped create the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.  James secured the appointment of Patten in 1888 as chair in political economy at Wharton, where he would remain for the remainder of his career. When James left for Chicago in 1896, Patten succeeded James as dean of Wharton, a position he would hold until 1912.

A polemical economist and social philosopher, Simon Patten was the closest to the Henry Carey tradition in advocating protectionism (1890). His most famous book (1896), Patten argued that economic structures were evolving from "pain economies" to "pleasure economies" along lines similar, but distinct, from Spencer and Sumner. 

Simon Nelson Patten was very influenced by the Progressive movement, his 1907 book called for the introduction of an income tax in the United States.  He was also a stringent advocate of prohibition of alcohol,  flirted with eugenics and contributed to the literature on Christian hymns.

 

  

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Major Works of Simon Nelson Patten

  • Das Finanzwesen der Staaten und Städte der nordamerikanischen Union, 1878 [bk]
  • Premises of Political Economy, being a re-examination of certain fundamental principles of economic science, 1885. [bk, av]
  • "Review of JB Clark's Capital and its Earnings", 1888, PSQ (Sep), p.539 [js]
  • "Review of Lunt's The Present Condition of Economic Science", 1888, PSQ (Dec), p.687 [js]
  • "The Stability of Prices", 1889, Pub AEA (Jan), p.365-428 [js]
  • "The Fundamental Idea of Capital", 1889, QJE p.188-203 [js]
  • "The Margin of Cultivation", 1889, QJE, p.356-58 [js]
  • "President Walker's Theory of Distribution", 1889, QJE, p.34-49 [js]
  • The Consumption of Wealth, 1889 [bk, av]
  • "Review of Jenks's Road Legislation", 1889, PSQ (Sep) p.526 [js]
  • "Malthus and Ricardo", 1889, Pub AEA (Sep), p.327-58 [js]
  •  "Wells' Recent Economic Changes", 1890, PSQ (Mar), p.84 [js]
  • Principles of Rational Taxation, 1890 [bk]
  • The Economic Basis of Protection, 1890 [av] [McM pdf], [French 1899 trans]
  • "The Educational Value of Political Economy", 1890, Pub AEA (Nov), p.473-502 [js]
  • "The Educational Value of Political Economy (abstract with discussion)", 1891, Pub AEA (Jan-Mar), p.100-15 [js]
  • "Economic Aspects of Technical Education (discussion)", 1891, Pub AEA (Jan-Mar),  p.115  [js]
  • "The Need of New Economic Terms", 1891, QJE, p.372-74 [js]
  • "Review of Laveleye's Luxury", 1891, PSQ (Sep), p.578 [js]
  • The Theory of Dynamic Economics, 1892 [av]
  • "The Interpretation of Ricardo (abstract & discussion)", 1893, Pub AEA (Jan) p.77 [js] (discussion by F.W. Taussig)
  • "The Interpretation of Ricardo" 1893, QJE (Apr), p.322-52 [js]
  • "The Scope of Political Economy (abstract)", 1894, Pub AEA (Jan), p.62 [js]
  • "The Place of University Extension", 1894, University Extension, p.258
  • "Discussion of A.W. Small's Relation of Sociology to Economics", 1895, Pub AEA (Mar-Supp), p.107 [js] (also Giddings, Ward, Ashley)
  • "The Teaching of Economics in the Secondary Schools", 1895, Pub AEA (Mar-Supp), p.119 [js]
  • The Theory of Social Forces, 1896.  (Supp AEA) [bk]
  • The Development of English Thought: A study in the economic interpretation of history, 1899 [bk, av] [Bris pdf]
  • The Theory of Prosperity, 1902. [bk]
  • Heredity and Social Progress, 1903.[bk]
  • The New Basis of Civilization, 1907. [bk] [1915 ed, av]
  • Product and Climax, 1909 [bk]
  • "Theories of Progress", 1911, AER
  • The Social Basis of Religion, 1911 [bk]
  • Reconstruction of Economic Theory, 1912 [bk, av]
  • Advent Songs, a revision of old hymns to meet modern needs, 1916 [bk]
  • Culture and War, 1916 [bk]
  • "Mandeville in the Twentieth Century", 1918, AER
  • Folk Love: a union of religious, patriotic and social sentiment, 1920 [av]
  • Mud Hollow: from dust to soul, 1922 [bk]
  • Essays in Economic Theory, 1924

 
HET

 
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Resources on Simon N. Patten

  • Review of Patten's Stability of Prices", by F.H. Giddings, 1889, PSQ (Mar) p.183 [js]
  • "Review of Patten's Consumption of Wealth" by A.T. Hadley, 1889, PSQ (Sep) p.534 [js]
  • "Wells' Recent Economic Changes", by Horace White, 1890, PSQ (Jun), p.309 [js] (reply to Patten's review of David A. Wells).
  • "Review of Patten's Economic Basis of Protection" by H.C. Adams,1890, PSQ (Dec),   p.710 [js]
  • "Review of Patten's Theory of Dynamic Economics", by Arthur T. Hadley,1892, PSQ (Sep), p.562 [js]
  • "Review of Patten's Basis of Protection" by R.R. Marrett, 1891, Economic Review, p.298
  • "Pattens Economic Basis of Protection" by C.J. Fuchs, 1891, SchmJGVV, p.291
  • "Recent Literature on Protection", by F.W. Taussig, 1893, QJE (Jan) p.162-76 [js]
  • "Review of Patten's Reconstruction" by Jacob H. Hollander, 1914, AER
  • Portrait of S.N. Patten as a young man
  • Memorial to Former President Simon N. Patten: addresses at annual meeting in Chicago, Ill, December 29, 1922, in AER Supplement, Papers & Proceedings, (March 1923). p.257
    • "Recollection of the Life and Work of Professor Simon N. Patten" by Richard T. Ely, p.259
    • "Professor Patten" by John Bates Clark, p.267
    • "Simon Nelson Patten: An appreciation" by Frankin H. Giddings, p.267
    • "S.N. Patten", J. Lichtenberger, p.270
    • "Some Formative Influences in the Life of Simon Nelson Patten" by Rexford Tugwell, p.273
    • "Simon N. Patten - Teacher" by C.N. Crennan, p.286
    • "Dr. Patten's Contributions to Economics" by Francis Tyson p.288
  • The Economics of Simon Nelson Patten by J.L. Boswell, 1934
  • S.N. Patten at McMaster
  • Patten page at ANB online
  • Wikipedia

 

 
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