William Haber Papers, 1918-1988

Summary

Creator:

Haber, William, 1899-1988

Abstract:

University of Michigan teacher and administrator, economist, labor mediator, and member of boards of various universities, Jewish educational, social, and welfare agencies, and public official. Series in collection include: Biographical/Personal, Correspondence, Jewish Organizations, University of Michigan, Other Organizational Activities, Appearances, Writings, Newspaper Clippings and Press Releases, and University of Wisconsin Student Notebooks and Papers, 1924-1926. Subjects covered in collection pertain to his activities as economist and authority on matters of labor economics, social security, and unemployment insurance. Also documented is his involvement with various Jewish social and philanthropic organizations, including ORT, B'nai B'rith, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Hebrew University, and to his work as Advisor on Jewish Affairs to General Lucius Clay. Correspondents in the collection include public figures from government, labor, universities, Jewish organizations, and philanthropic agencies.

Extent:

49 linear feet

Language:

English

Call Number:

85198 Aa 2

Authors:

Finding aid created by Michigan Historical Collections staff

Background

Scope and Content:

The papers of William Haber, covering the period since his education at the University of Wisconsin in the 1920s until his death in 1988, have come to the library in several accessions beginning in 1978. Because of the fullness of Haber's career and the fact that he worked out of different offices, this half century of documentation was surprisingly well organized although somewhat broken up because files had been retired at different times. In 1992, the collection was reprocessed and the opportunity was taken to bring together sequences of files that had been separated. There are still some inconsistencies in the filing but these have been explained and described in the Series Description that follows.

The collection has been arranged into ten series. Although Haber and his secretarial staff never classified his files in these terms, the series headings were given to draw like materials together and to provide a rational framework for thinking about and using the various Haber files. The series are: Biographical/Personal; Correspondence; Jewish Organizations; University of Michigan; Other Organizational Activities; Appearances; Writings; Scrapbooks, clippings, etc.; Miscellaneous; and University of Wisconsin Files.

Biographical / Historical:

William Haber led a varied and active life as a teacher, author, economist, university administrator, consultant, arbitrator, government official, and active member of the American Jewish community. Born in Rumania on March 6, 1899, Haber was brought to the United States as a child of ten. He grew up in Milwaukee and received his college education primarily at the University of Wisconsin, although he also attended Harvard for two years of graduate training. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1923, masters in 1926, and doctorate in 1927, all from the University of Wisconsin and all in economics.

Haber began his academic career as an instructor at the University of Wisconsin (1926-1927), then as an associate professor of economics at Michigan State College (1927-1936), and finally as a professor at the University of Michigan (1936-1988). Though he held many non-university positions since his arrival in Ann Arbor in 1936, Haber remained affiliated with the University of Michigan throughout. At Michigan he served in a series of educational administrative posts, including chairman of the economics department (1962-1963), dean of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts (1963-1968) and special adviser to the university's executive officers (1968-1988).

As an expert in the field of labor-management relations, Haber was frequently sought out by both sides to arbitrate disputes, or to serve on jointly appointed boards administering and evaluating pension funds and other similar matters. His intimate knowledge of labor and management grew out of his academic work. He was most interested in questions of employment, in particular insurance both for the unemployed and for those unable to work due to age or health.

Haber's area of academic specialization also led him into governmental service, as a consultant and administrator. Among positions held by Haber were the directorship of the Michigan State Emergency Relief Administration (1934), consultant to the Social Security Board (1939-1945), chairman of the committee for long range work and relief policy of the National Resources Planning Board (1941-1944), and chairman of the Federal Advisory Council on Employment Security (1948-1988).

Despite his numerous other activities, Haber's most time consuming interest was the state of world Jewry. During World War II and immediately thereafter, Haber served with the National Refugee Service, the American Jewish Committee, and on General Lucius Clay's staff as Advisor on Jewish Affairs to the Commander-in-chief U.S. Forces in Germany and Austria (1948-1949). Between 1949 and 1964, Haber served as chairman of the National Hillel Commission B'nai B'rith. His greatest interest, however, was in the Organization for Rehabilitation through Training (ORT). Although ORT's existence predates World War II, ORT's global operations (after the war) concentrated upon assisting survivors of the Holocaust. In 1950 Haber was elected President of the American ORT Federation, and between 1955 and 1975, he served as president of the World ORT Union's Central Board.

The recipient of many awards and a prolific author, William Haber continued to teach economics courses at the university into his retirement. He died December 30, 1989.

Acquisition Information:

Beginning in 1978, William Haber (donor no. 4074 ) began donating his papers to the library.

Arrangement:

Summary Contents List

1. Biographical/Personal (box 1)
2. Correspondence (boxes 1-20; 46-47)
   • 1923-1962 (chronological series) (boxes 1; 46)
   • 1939-1941 (alphabetical series) (boxes 47; 2)
   • 1920s-1961 (alphabetical series) (boxes 2-9)
   • 1961-1965 (alphabetical series) (boxes 9-10)
   • 1965-1966 (alphabetical series) (boxes 11-12)
   • 1967-1978 and some earlier (alphabetical series) (boxes 12-17)
   • 1979-1986 and some earlier (alphabetical series) (boxes 17-20)
3. Jewish Organizations (boxes 20-31)
   • National Refugee Service (box 20)
   • Advisor on Jewish Affairs to the Commander-in-chief U.S. Forces in Germany and Austria, 1948-1949 (box 20)
   • Organization for Rehabilitation through Training (ORT), 1950-1986 (boxes 20-26)
   • B'nai B'rith/Hillel Foundation, 1950-1986 (boxes 27-29)
   • American Jewish Committee, 1947-1986 (box 29)
   • American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, 1958-1986 (box 29)
   • Jewish Agency for Israel, 1973-1977 (box 30)
   • Fund for Higher Education (in Israel) (box 30)
   • Brandeis University (box 30)
   • Hebrew University (box 31)
4. University of Michigan (boxes 31-32)
   • Course materials (box 31)
   • Dated and topical files (box 32)
5. Other Organizational Activities (boxes 33-36)
   • Michigan State Emergency Welfare Relief Administrator (box 33)
   • National Resources Planning Board (box 33
   • Bureau of Employment Security (box 34)
   • W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research (boxes 35-37)
6. Appearances (boxes 37-41)
   • Speeches, papers, etc. (boxes 37-40)
   • Programs, announcements, etc. (box 40-41)
7. Writings (box 41)
8. Scrapbooks, clippings, etc. (box 42-44)
9. Miscellaneous (box 45, 48)
10. University of Wisconsin Files (boxes 48-49)

Subjects

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Subjects:

Charities.
Depressions -- 1929 -- United States.
Insurance -- United States.
Jews -- Michigan.
Jews -- Education.
Labor economics.
Occupational training for Jews.
Public welfare -- United States.
Refugees, Jewish.

Formats:

Notebooks.
Photographs.

Names:

American Jewish Committee.
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
American ORT Federation.
B'nai B'rith.
B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation (University of Michigan)
Brandeis University.
Universitah ha 'Ivrit bi-Yerushalayim.
Jewish Agency for Israel.
Michigan. State Emergency Welfare Relief Commission.
University of Michigan. Dept. of Economics.
University of Michigan -- Faculty.
University of Wisconsin -- Students.
W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
Women's American ORT.
World ORT Union.
Haber, Samuel.
Haber, William, 1899-1988.
Haber, Fannie.
Ackley, Gardner.
Adler, Morris.
Altmeyer, Arthur Joseph, 1891-1972.
Clay, Lucius D. (Lucius DuBignon), 1897-1978.
Cohen, Wilbur J. (Wilbur Joseph), 1913-1987.
Fine, Sidney, 1920-
Fleming, R. W. (Robben Wright), 1916-2010.
Frankensteen, Richard T. (Richard Truman), 1907-1977.
Goldberg, Arthur J.
Gompers, Samuel, 1850-1924.
Hatcher, Harlan, 1898-1998.
Hodges, Luther Hartwell, 1898-1974.
Hopkins, Harry L. (Harry Lloyd), 1890-1946.
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963.
Murphy, Frank, 1890-1949.
Perlman, Selig, 1888-1959.
Pesotta, Rose, 1896-
Reuther, Walter, 1907-1970.
Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962.
Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972.

Places:

Germany.
Greece.