Profile Major Works Resources

Amos G. Warner, 1861-1900. 

Early American Institutionalist economist, sociologist and first professor of economics at Stanford University.

Amos Griswold Warner was born in Elkander, Iowa.  Following his father's death shortly before his birth, Warner was raised by his mother on a farm in Nebraska.  He obtained his BA from the University of Nebraska in 1885 and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1888 under Richard T. Ely.   After brief stints teaching at Hopkins and subsequently Nebraska (1889-1891), Warner served briefly as superintendent of charities in Washington DC in 1891.  In the Spring of 1893, Amos Warner went across the country to become the first professor and head of economics department of the newly-founded Stanford University.

Amos Warner's primary interest was in social welfare, poverty and the unemployed.  Warner was involved with American charity organization since his student days in Baltimore.  Warner's comprehensive treatise, American Charities, became a standard textbook on the subject of social work down to the 1930s.  Warner famously argued in favor of private charities, and against public relief agencies. 

Warner fell ill shortly after the appearance of the book, and had to give up his teaching duties at Stanford.  Amos G. Warner died at the early age of 39, from tuberclosis.

 

  

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Major Works of Amos G. Warner

  •  "Three Phases of Cooperation in the West", 1887,  Pub AEA (Mar) , p.3 [js], [also repr. in 1888 JHU Studies, (Ser 6), p.363]
  • "A Nest of Wildcats", 1887, Overland Monthly (Aug), p.113
  • "Sketches from Territorial History", 1887, Trans. Nebraska State Historical Society, p.18
  • "Le Play's Studies in Social Phenomenon", 1886, Popular Science Monthly, (Oct), p.787 [w]
  • "The Charities of Baltimore", 1887, Report of a Conference on Charities, held in Baltinore, April 16-17, 1887, p.133
  • "The Baltimore Conference of Charities", 1887, International Record of Charities and Correction (May) p.43
  • "Begging as a Business", 1887, Baltimore American (Nov 15)
  • "The Organization of Charity" 1887, Baltimore Sun.
  • "L'Organisation de la charité aux Etats Unis", 1888, La Réforme sociale (Jan 15), p.117
  • "Rural Poor Administration in Germany", 1888, International Record of Charities and Correction, (Aug)
  • "Report on Maryland", 1888, Proceedings of 15th National Conference of Charities and Correction, p.332
  • "Charity Organization at the 15th National Conference", 1888, Monthly Register.
  • "The Charities of Baltimore", 1889, Civil Service Reformer, (Jan), p.5
  • "Notes on the Statistical Determination of the Causes of Poverty", 1889, Pub ASA (Mar), p.183 [js]
  • "Scientific Charity", 1889, Popular Science Monthly (Aug), p.488 [w]
  • "On Charities and our Churches", 1889, Proceedings of the 16th National Conference on Charities, San Francisco.  p.36
  • "Anti-poverty Cure-alls", 1889, College and School (Dec)
  • "Charities: the relation of the state, the city and the individual to modern philanthropic work ", 1889, Notes Supplementary to JHU Studies (No. 7 - July?), p.81
  • "Economic Notes Regarding Luxury", 1890, Proceedings of the AAAS, 1889, p.436
  • "Concerning Corporation Law", 1890, Popular Science Monthly, (Jul) p.323 [w]
  • "Review of Baker's War with Crime and Ellis's Criminal", 1890, PSQ (Sep), p.524 [js]
  • "Some Experiments on Behalf of the Unemployed", 1890, QJE (Oct), p.1 [js]
  • "Railroad Problems in a Western State", 1891, PSQ (Mar),  p.66 [js]
  • "Review of Howell's Conflicts of Capital and Labor", 1891, AAPSS (Jan), p.495 [js]
  • "Review of Cook's Corporation Problem", 1892, AAPSS (Jan), p.119 [js]
  • "Political Economy in Academies and High Schools", 1891, The Congregationalist (Mar 19)
  • "Review of Scott's State Iniquity", 1891, PSQ (Jun), p.357 [js]
  • "Review of Hubert-Valleroux's La Charite avant et Depuis 1789" 1891, PSQ (Jun), p.359 [js]
  • "The Railroads and the Farmers of Nebraska", 1891, Independent (Sep 3)
  • "Political Science in American State Universities, read January 1889", 1892, Trans. Nebraska State Historical Society, v.3, p.21
  • "Review of FC Clark's State Railroad Commissions", 1892, AAPSS (May), p.133 [js]
  • "German Labor Colonies", 1892, QJE (Jul),  p.462 [js]
  • "Co-operation with Public Authorities", 1892, The Charities Review, v.2 (Nov), p.24
  • "New Municipal Lodging in Washington", 1893,The Charities Review, v.2 (Mar) p.279
  • "Philanthropology in Educational Institutions", 1893, International Congress of Charities, Correction and Philanthropy - Sociology in Institutions of Higher Learning, p.80
  • "Possible Careers for Students of Social Science", 1893, Stanford Sequoia (May 3)
  • "Organized Charity from the Point of View of a Municipal Officer", 1894, Lend a Hand, (Dec), p.403
  • "Philanthropy in American Colleges", 1894, Congregationalist, (Aug 16)
  • American Charities: a study in philanthropy and economics. 1894 [bk] [1908 2nd ed, 1919 3rd ed]
  • "The Causes of Poverty Further Considered", 1894, Pub ASA (Sep), p.49 [js]
  • "Consciences and Corporations", 1895, Public Opinion (Mar 28), p.312
  • "Politics and Crime", 1895, AJS (Nov), p.290 [js]
  • "Something on Reformation", 1895, Charities Review (Nov), p.11
  • "The World in Review", 1897, North Western Monthly, Sep (p.91) & Oct (p.151)
  • "Lay Sermons of Amos Griswold Warner", 1904, JHU Studies in Historical and Political Science (Supp)  p.415

 
HET

 
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Resources on  Amos Warner

  • Notice of Warner's appointment in Washington DC, 1891, AAPSS (Jul),  p.106
  • Notice of Warner's appointment at Stanford, 1893, AAPSS (Nov), p.125
  • "Arrival of Warner", 1893, Stanford Daily [online]
  • "Review of Warner's American Charities" by H. H. Powers, 1895, AAPSS (May) p.154 [js]
  • "Obituary of A.G. Warner", 1900, Charities Review (Mar), p.1 (obituary by E.A. Ross]
  • "Biographical Sketch of Amos G. Warner", by George Elliot Howard, 1904, JHU Studies, p.421 [reprinted in Warner's American Charities, 1908 ed. p.5; 1919 ed, p.5]
  • "Bibliogrpahy of AG Warner", 1904, JHU Studies, p.482
  • "Review of AG Warner's American Charities", by S.M.Lindsay, 1909, Econ Bulletin (Dec), p.384 [js]
  • "Amos Warner" at Social Welfare History Project, Virginia Commonwealth Univ [online]
  • Wiki

 

 
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