John Bertram Andrews (1880–1943):

Social Reformer, Labor Expert, Economist and Author

John Bertram Andrews was an American economist who studied and advocated for progressive labor reform. Born in South Wayne, Wisconsin on August 2, 1880, Andrews studied history and economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating in 1904, and at Dartmouth College where he received the degree of A.M. in 1905. He earned his Ph. D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1908.

In 1909, Andrews became the executive secretary of the American Association for Labor Legislation (AALL), an organization founded to study labor conditions and legislation. Under Andrews’ leadership, the AALL became an advocacy group for worker’s compensation, occupational health and safety, and child labor laws. In 1911, Andrews founded the American Labor Legislation Review to record milestones and advances in social reforms, a publication he edited until his death. 

John B. Andrews wrote numerous books and articles, including A Practical Program for the Prevention of Unemployment in America (1915) and Labor Problems and Labor Legislation (1919). He penned occasional newspaper columns. His most significant work regarded health and unemployment insurance for workers.

In addition, Andrews authored Principles of Labor Legislation (1916) and History of Labor in the United States (1918) with John R. Commons, another American economist, progressive, and labor historian, under whom he studied at the University of Wisconsin.

John Andrews was also a member of the secretariat to the League of Nations’ first International Labor Conference, convened in Washington, D.C. in October 1919. In 1921, President Harding called Andrews to serve as executive secretary of the President’s Conference on Unemployment called in response to the Depression of 1920-1921.

Six years after his passing, on November 4 and 5, 1949, the John B. Andrews Memorial Symposium on Labor Legislation and Social Security was held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI. 

Personal life

On August 8, 1910, John Andrews married Irene Osgood Andrews, an American writer on the problems of women in industry who later served as assistant secretary of the AALL. They had a son, John Osgood Andrews.  John B. Andrews died on January 6, 1943 and was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, NY. 

Sources:

Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, April 1943, 69.

John Boman, E. (2001). John Bertram Andrews (1880-1943). Cambridge Dictionary Of American Biography, 1.

“In Memorium: John B. Andrews (1880-1943).” Social Service Review 17 (March 1943), 97-98. https://www.jstor.org/stable/30000928

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bertram_Andrews

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Osgood_Andrews

Library of Congress Name Authority File

For Further Reading:

Report of the President’s Conference on Unemployment:  https://archive.org/details/cu31924032446498

International Labor Conference, first annual meeting, October 29, 1919-November 29, 1919. Pan American Union Building, Washington, D. C., U. S. A.: https://archive.org/details/cu31924032456851 

How to Cite this Article (APA Format): Social History Welfare Project (2016, September 19). John Bertram Andrews (1880-1943): Social reformer, labor expert, economist, author. Social Welfare History Project. Retrieved [date accessed] from https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/people/andrews-john-bertram/