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Deibler, Frederick Shipp, 1876-1961

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1876-1961

Biography

Frederick Shipp Deibler was born May 31, 1876 in Deputy, Indiana, the son of Caleb and Harriet Florence (Roseberry) Deibler. He joined the faculty of Northwestern University in 1904, teaching in both the History and Economics departments. Deibler remained at NU until he retired in 1942. In addition to academics, Deibler served such civic roles as Special Investigator for the U.S. Commission on Industrial Relations and Public Mediator for the National War Labor Board.

Deibler took an A.B. degree from Hanover College (Indiana) in 1900. From 1900 to 1902 Deibler taught economics at Paw Paw (Illinois) High School. He took another A.B. degree in 1903 and an A.M. in 1904, both from Harvard University. The University of Wisconsin awarded Deibler his Ph.D. in 1909.

Deibler married Julia May Fawcett an August 14, 1907. They had two children: Helen Christine (Mrs. William Keeran) and Charles Frederick. The Deiblers' son died in 1948.

Deibler joined the Northwestern University faculty in 1904 and served as an Instructor in History and Economics from 1904 to 1905. He was an Instructor in Economics from 1905 to 1909 when he became an Assistant Professor of Economics. In 1911 Northwestern's School of Commerce also appointed Deibler as an Assistant Professor of Economics. In 1912 Deibler was promoted to Associate Professor of Economics in both the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Commerce. Deibler attained the rank of Professor of Economics in the School of Commerce in 1914 and in the College of Liberal Arts in 1915. His appointment in the School of Commerce expired in 1916. He became Chairman of the Department of Economics in 1916 and retained the chairmanship until he retired from the faculty in 1942. Deibler was Professor Emeritus of Economics from 1942 until his death on December 26, 1961. In addition to his appointments at Northwestern, Deibler served as Visiting Professor of Economics at several universities including Buffalo in 1947, Indiana in 1947-1948 and 1948-1949 and during the summers at Chicago in 1917 and at Southern California in 1929 and 1938.

Augmenting his academic career, Deibler served as a Special Investigator for the U.S. Commission on Industrial Relations (1914-1915); Chairman of the General Advisory Board of the Illinois Free Employment Offices (1917-1927); Assistant Examiner for the Ship-building Labor Adjustment Board, Great Lakes District (1918); Chairman of the Special Committee to Study the Effect of the N.R.A. on the Boot and Shoe Industry (1935); and as a Public Mediator for the National War Labor Board (1942).

Deibler was a member of the American Economic Association and served as its Secretary-Treasurer from 1925 to 1936. He was a charter member of Northwestern's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, serving both as chapter President and as President of the national organization from 1939 to 1941. He also belonged to the American Association of Labor Legislation. Deibler was a founding member of the Northwestern chapter of Alpha Pi Zeta, an honorary and professional fraternity for the social sciences. He was also a member of Delta Sigma Pi and Beta Gamma Sigma commerce fraternities, Phi Delta Theta social fraternity and the University Club of Evanston.

Deibler's doctoral thesis was a study of the Amalgamated Wood Workers' International Union of America and was published in 1912 as a Bulletin of the University of Wisconsin (Number 511) in its Economics and Political Science Series (Volume 7, Number 3). Deibler authored Principles of Economics (1929, second edition 1936) and was a contributing author to Society Today (1929).

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Frederick Shipp Deibler (1876-1961) Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 11/3/10/2
Abstract

The Frederick Shipp Deibler Papers, comprising five and one-half boxes, consist principally of general correspondence and subject files, plus a small amount of biographical material. The Papers provide a rich documentary record of Deibler's academic career, his role as an economic advisor to several government boards and his participation in activities related to some of the major social issues of his time.

Dates: 1910-1942