Jeremiah Jenks
Jeremiah Whipple Jenks (1856–1929) was an American economist, educator, and professor at Cornell University, who held various posts in the United States government throughout his career. He served as a member of the Dillingham Immigration Commission from 1907 to 1914 in which he led research projects on the state of immigration to the US.
Jeremiah Jenks
1856
1929 (aged 72–73)
American
Economist, educator, professor
He authored several influential works, including The Immigration Problem: A Study of Immigration Conditions and Needs and Dictionary of Races or Peoples. He was among the first social science academics within government and one of the first to propose that the federal government has the power to restrict immigration.
Biography[edit]
Born in St. Clair, Michigan, Jenks graduated from the University of Michigan in 1878. He then went on to study law while teaching at Mount Morris College in Illinois, and was admitted to the Michigan bar in 1881. He later studied in Germany, earning his doctorate from the University of Halle under Johannes Conrad in 1885. Jenks held professorships at both Cornell University (1891–1912) as a member of the President White School of History and Political Science and New York University (1912 onward).
He began his career in service for the federal government as a tax commissioner in New York City, and soon moved onto hold various posts within the federal government. Theodore Roosevelt appointed him in 1899 to be an "expert in Asia" for the US Treasury, and represented the US in financial matters within several Asian countries. Jenks soon became an advisor to Mexico, Nicaragua, and Germany as well, quickly advancing through the ranks of the federal government. Jenks was appointed a member of the US Commission on International Exchange, and was appointed to the Dillingham Commission in 1907. The National Civic Federation, an organization of big business owners and labor organizers, also hired him and his work there became inspirational for his studies on labor. Jenks was recognized with the Silver Buffalo Award in 1926. Today, he is remembered for his association with Nobel laureate Friedrich Hayek, and his legacy in American immigration policy.
Economics[edit]
Jenks was interested in the political aspects of economic problems and he served frequently on various government commissions and made many reports on currency, labor, and immigration issues.[1] Jenks was part of the new school of economic theory during the Progressive Era, which stemmed through his dissertation adviser at the University of Halle, Joseph Conrad, who was an outspoken critic of British classical economics. Progressive Era economists focused on making economics compatible with morality, and sought to institute governmental regulations which were favorable to large corporations. Jenks toured the world for the War Department from 1901–1902, where he examined how dependent colonial governments operated financially. He made many other trips around the world as a member of the Commission on International Exchange, where he researched colonial policy and the gold standard in countries all over the world. Based on these experiences, Jenks wrote a chapter in Senator Henry Cabot Lodge's book Colonies of the World. Progressive economists and Jenks founded the American Economic Association, where he served as president from 1906–1907. One of the association's goals was the "development of legislative policy", which was radical for its time as many of the old school economists of the time still strongly believed in the idea of strict laissez-faire economics.
The reformist ideology of the American Economic Association affected his work as a member of the National Civic Federation (NCF). The National Civic Federation was a business-dominated organization that aligned with the ideologies of reformist minded economists like Jenks, as it sought to implement uniform state legislation on multiple issues including worker's compensation, child labor, and taxation.[2] Additionally, the NCF gave Jenks his first exposure to immigration issues, as in 1905 he attended a conference that focused on whether immigrant labor from China should be more restricted.[3] He also served as an economic adviser at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. Jenks’ experiences abroad influenced his views on US colonialism. Although many Republican reformers were anti-imperialist, Jenks was an outspoken proponent of US colonialism and expansion. He saw American colonial intervention as a way to offset inefficiencies produced by the native populations, and a way to bring them to the moral standards of America.[4] Jenks' experiences abroad also gave him the idea that the US had the right to exercise federal power across the globe, particularly when it came to immigration.
Works[edit]
The Immigration Problem: A Study of American Immigration Conditions and Needs[edit]
One of Jenks' most influential publications was written with the help of his hire for the Dillingham Commission, William Jett Lauck. It was a research study conducted on different races of immigrants in US society with the goals of fixing a standard of civilization for the US, securing all the facts about immigration, measuring immigrants' influence on the standard of civilization, and suggesting measures for the US government to implement to correct these problems.[9] Jenks and Lauck conduct research studies on criminal immigrants, human trafficking, and immigrant living conditions over the US. After studying a mine in northern Pennsylvania, they came to the conclusion that immigrants were reducing the standard of civilization for all Americans, which was to negatively affect their morality. They also conducted studies on the difference in occupation of immigrants from different countries, and concluded that they had negative impact on labor unions, as they were frequently employed as strikebreakers.
In the section entitled "Are Other Races Inferior?", Jenks questions the idea of inferior races of immigrants. He states, "... whether or not we ourselves believe that race prejudice is something to be heartily condemned, we must still recognize this feeling as an important political fact."[9] Jenks comes to the conclusion that racial prejudice is not a personal issue, but a political one. The book concludes that pre-war immigration was too large for the economic welfare of the US, and a new naturalization law was required.[9] Jenks and Lauck's perspective on racial prejudice was relevant in the policy suggestions of the book, which suggested different quotas for different races of immigrants, as some were easier to be trained and assimilated into American society.[9] This book was one of the first to advocate immigration restriction by federal government legislation. It is also important because it was the first to coin the term "the immigration problem", a phrase which is still used in the US government today.
Jenks and Lauck argued that immigration adversely affects economic outcomes for native-born Americans.[10] A 2019 study by several economic historians found that the immigration restrictions that Jenks advocated for did not improve economic outcomes for native-born Americans.[10]
Dictionary of Races or Peoples[edit]
Jenks and his key staff assistant, anthropologist Daniel Folkmar, collaborated on an extensive racial dictionary that became an important feature of the Commission's report to Congress.
In their Dictionary of Races or Peoples, Jenks and Folkmar stated that their principal task was to discover "whether there may not be certain races that are inferior to other races... to show whether some may be better fitted for American citizenship than others." The dictionary, along with other Commission reports, was cited frequently in subsequent immigration debates.[11]
His works include:
