HERBERT D. BROWN PAPERS
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Herbert Daniel Brown (1890-1959) document his career
as a government efficiency expert and industrial relations counselor. His interest in
amortization, annuities, and pensions began with early experience in the insurance
business, and continued as a lifetime study of their underlying principles.
Born in Fort Madison, Iowa, February 1, 1870, Brown married Harriet
Chedie Connor on July 29, 1897. They came to Washington, DC in 1903 where he
entered government service, first in the Census Bureau, then in the Bureau of
Corporations, the forerunner of the Federal Trade Commission. Mrs. Brown assisted
her husband by writing reports, histories, and summaries of his work.
Brown’s study of actuarial and superannuatation problems led to an interest in
the agitation for civil service pensions, and to his support in 1908 of the Civil Service
Retirement Association in promoting retirement legislation for civil service employees.
From 1910-13 Herbert Brown also served as asistant actuary in charge of work of the
Joint Congressional Commission on Fidelity Bonds, accountant on President Taft’s
Commission on Economy and Efficiency to work on problems connected with the
personnel of Civil Service, and as Chief, Division of Efficiency, U.S. Civil Service
Commission.
In 1915 President Wilson appointed Brown to chief of the newly formed U.S.
Bureau of Efficiency. He served in that capacity until 1933 when the bureau was
abolished by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The primary purpose of the Bureau of
Efficiency was better economy through decreased appropriations achieved by increased
efficiency. The Bureau provided a scheme for classifications and definitions for each
civil service position bringing a greater equality to public service. Brown established
the Bureau of War Risk Insurance during WWI and the military serial number. He also
established procedures for investigating various private pension funds putting them on
a sound financial basis.
At the request of the Bureau of Labor, Brown introduced the study of retirement
plans for civil servants and industrial corporations in foreign lands, including the
governments of Great Britain, New Zealand, New South Wales, and Canada.
At the request of President Hoover, Herbert and Mrs. Brown made trips to
Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands in 1930 and 1931 to report on political, social, and
economic conditions. He also condicted an economic survey in Panama in 1929
Subject and Individual File
Box Contents
1
Actuaries Board, 1923-34
Agriculture Department Meat Inspection Regulations, 1922
American Chemical Society Report, 1924
American Engineering Council, 1924
American Legion, 1927
Appropriations, 1921-33
Atomic Bomb Test, Bikini, 1946
Bok Peace Plan, 1923-24
Brown, Herbert D.
Chronology, 1901-26
Personal File, 1890-1959
Budget of the United States
Article, "Why Our Budget System Will Not Reduce
Taxes", n/d
Clippings
1907-11
1916-17
1919
1920
1921
1922-24
1925
2
1926-29
1930-57
Speeches, 1919, 1921
Bureau of Efficiency
Abolishment, 1932-33
Acts of Congress, 1916-33
Actuarial Work, n/d
Appropriations and Savings, 1914-32
Article,"Should Your Child Be A Public Servant"
by Robert Moses", Colliers, 11/13/53
Clippings
See Also: Harriet Connor Brown Papers, Scrapbooks
1916-19
1920-21
1922
1923-26
1927-29
1930-31
1932
3
1933-34
n/d
Correspondence, 1931
History and Purposes, 1918-19
House of Representatives, Economy Committee
Testimony, 1932
"Letters to College Daughter", excerpts
Chapters 7-12, 1917
Chapters 13-28, 1918
List of Employees, 1924, 1932
Memorandum, 1919
Press Release, 1925
Rubin, Morris H., n/d
Reports
Notes, I-IV, 3/25/13 to 10/31/19
Published copy, 1918-19
"Shall The People Rule", draft
Table of Contents
Chapter I, 1903
Chapter II
1903-13
1904-08
1908
Chapter IV, 1908-13
Chapter V
1911-13
1913
4
Chapter VI, 1913-14
Chapter VII, 1913
Chapter VIII
1913-17
1917-19
Chapter IX, 1918-19
Chapter X, 1918-19
Chapter XI, 1918-19
Chapter, XII, 1919
Chapter XIII, 1919
Chapter XIV, 1919
Chapter XV, 1920
Chapter XVI
1921
1923
1924
1925
Chapter XVIII, 1926-27
Chapter XXI, 1929
Chapter XXIV, 1929
Chapter XXV
1930
1931
1932
Chapter XXVIII, 1932
Chapter XXXII, 1933 (2 folders)
Chapter XXXIV
1933
1933-35
Chapter XXXV
1935
1936
1938
1941
5
Roundup, 1934
Service School for Federal Employees, 1920
Speeches, 1928, 1932, n/d
Statement of Work, 1914-32
Stowell, Ellery C., 1925
Summary
Business Recovery, A Program for, 1933
Calendar Reform, 1923
Census, clippings, 1919-30
Congress, clippings
1921-24
1925-27
1928-33
Constitution, Study of, 1922
Coolidge, Calvin, (subject file) 1923-26
Cost of Living & Pay of Employees, 1930-31
Council of Personnel Administration, clippings, 1931
Crime, 1927
Currency
General
1912-15
1925
January - June
July - December
1926
February
March
April
May
June
August - December
6
1927
January
February - March
April
May - July
August - December
1928
1929
February - July
August - December
1930
February - April
May - December
1931
January - September
1933
n/d
7
Reports
Bureau of Foreign & Domestic Commerce, 1930-31
Dupuy, William Atherton
1925
1926
Davis, Ben G., 1924
District of Columbia
Clippings
1921-24
1928
January
1-15
16-31
February
1-15
16-29
April - December
8
1930
1933
Fiscal Relations, 1929
Jail
1927
1928
1929
Public Utility Corporations Taxation, 1932
Eastman Kodak Company, 1932
Economic Depression in Iowa, 1932
Economy & Efficiency, President's Commission on, 1913
Employment Assurance, 1944
Employment of Federal Prisoners, n/d
Fidelity Bonds Report, 1917
Germany, 1925
Government Activities, Index of, 1929
Government Salaries
See: Reclassification of Government Salaries
Great Britain, 1922
Harding, Warren (subject file), 1921-24
Herring, Clyde L., 1938
Immigrants, clippings, 1922
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, 1923-30
Labor, 1918, 1925
Lay-off and Its Prevention, 1930
Memoranda, 1931-32
Missions, Board of, 1914
Morgan, Sidney, 1932
National League of Women Voters, 1923
Office Appropriations, 1924
Office Equipment
Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co., n/d, 1913-25
Dalton Adding Machine Company, 1910-14
Millionaire Calculating Machine, 1913-14
National Cash Register Company, 1925
Pierce Accounting Machine, 1921-27
Remington Rand, 1926-28
Tabulating Machine Company
1913
1914
9
World's Largest Corporation As User and Prospect, n/d
XxX Company, Inc., n/d
Office Expenses
1913
1914
Panama
Correspondence
1929
1930
1931
1932
Economic Survey, 1929
Manuscript draft of article, 1929
January
February
10
Report on the Financial Administration, 1929
See Also: Harriet Connor Brown Papers, Scrapbooks
Payroll Stabilization, 1954
Pensions
General correspondence, 1908-12
Article, "Essentials of a Program of Unemployment Reserves", n/d
Bibliography, n/d, 1923
Civil Service
Articles, 1911
Bills, S1944
Retirement in Canada, 1914
Retirement in Great Britain & New Zealand, 1910
Retirement in United States
Savings and Annuity Plan, 1912-13
Workmen's Compensation and Disability, 1911-13
Clergy, 1914
Municipal
General, 1913-14
11
Boston, n/d, 1911-19
Private Companies
General, 1913-14
Carnegie Institution, 1914
DuPont de Nemours Powder Company
1912-13
1914-16, 1925
Newport News Shipbuilding
1913
1914
Spectator Company, 1908-14
Porto Rico
See: Harriet Connor Brown Papers, Scrapbooks
Postal Service, 1927-28
Profit-Sharing, n/d
Prohibition, 1922
Publications, 1921-25
Reclassification of Government Salaries, Congressional Commission on
General
1912-13
1919
October - November
December
1919-20
Correspondence, 1920
Class Specifications
Service Symbol
13, Chemistry
21, Architectural
23, Civil Engineering
24, Electrical Engineering
25, Marine Engineering & Naval
26, Mechanical Engineering
27, Mining Engineering
28, Miscellaneous Engineering
51, Administrative & Supervisory Clerical
12
Legislation
1919-20
1921-25
Meetings, 1919
Moses, Robert, 1919-20
The Reclassificationist, 1920
Reorganization of the Executive Branch of Government
General
1914
1920
1921
January - May
June - December
1924
1932
1933
Bills Introduced in Congress, List of, 1919-20
Memorandum, 1923
pages 1-32
pages 33-95
Reorganization of the Federal Government, 1932
Repauno Plan for Payroll Employees, 1936
Schools and Universities, 1923-24, 1927
Smith, Alfred, (subject file) 1927
Social Security Administration, press release, 1936
Surety Bonding, 1912-14
Tax Saving, n/d
Unidentified manuscript draft on peace, 1939, pp. 1022-1056
United States Geological Survey, 1908
Veteran's Relief, 1932
13
Virgin Islands
General
1926-29
1930
January - May
June - December
1931-32
1933-38
n/d
Bill to Provide a Permanent Government, 1930
Correspondence
Benning, Paul D., 1930
14
Sonne, H. C., 1930
United States Department of Agriculture, Office
of Experimental Studies, 1931
Governor
Annual Reports of, 1926-35
Pearson, Paul M., Report on, 1931
Report of Survey of Administrative Offices,
tentative draft, 1930
Map, n/d
Printed Material
1918-23
1924-40
Report on Political, Social & Economic Conditions in the
Virgin Islands, fragments of draft, 1930
Author Index
Introductory Material
Letter Preliminary to Submission
Table of Contents
15
Letter of Transmittal, pp. 1-12
General Situation, pp. 13-47
General Program, pp. 48-56
Specific Recommendations, pp. 57-67
Part I, Remedial Measures
1. Political Need: An Act to Provide for a
Permanent Form of Government
pp. 68-96
pp. 97-117
pp. 118-136
pp. 137-153
2. General Social and Economic Needs
of the Islands
pp. 154-170
pp. 171-216
pp. 217-304
pp. 305-340
pp. 341-375
16
pp. 376-433
3. Peculiar Needs of St. Thomas, pp. 434-463
4. Peculiar Needs of St. John, p. 464
5. Peculiar Needs of St. Croix, pp. 465-480
Part II, Historical and Statistical Data
Concerning the Virgin Islands
1. Description of the Virgin Islands, pp. 481-492
2. Government of the Virgin Islands, pp. 493-508
3. Government Organization and Activities
pp. 509-555
pp. 556-568
4. Revenues of the Virgin Islands, pp. 569-599
5. History of Banking and Currency, pp. 600-607
9. Annual Report of the Department
of Public Welfare, Fiscal Year,
1928-29, pp. 608-616
11. Summaries of Annual Reports of
the Governors, 1918-29, pp. 619-653
12. Summaries of Special Reports, pp. 654-687
13. Resolutions of the Colonial Councils, 1924,
pp. 688-689
Part III. The Agriculture of the Virgin
Islands, Summary Statement, pp. 752-778
Index
Report on Political Social and Economic Conditions in the
Virgin Islands, complete copy, 1930
Part II
17
Report on Political Social and EconomicConditions in the
Virgin Islands, bound copy, 1930
Part I
Part II
Part III
Report on the West Indian Sugar Factory, 1923
See Also: Harriet Connor Brown Papers, Scrapbooks
Vollmer, August, 1924
Voter Registration, 1922
War Risk Insurance Bureau
Difficulties, 1919 (2 folders)
Expenditures, 1918
Memoranda, 1918-23
18
Report, 1918
First draft, fragments
Second draft, fragments
Final copy
Report of Committees, 1918
"We Go to Vote" series, Christian Science Monitor, 1932
Weather Forecasting, 1924-27
Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, 1933
Wilson, Woodrow (Subject File), 1920-24
Women's Suffrage
See: Harriet Connor Brown Papers Scrapbook IV