Witte's Personal History
Edwin's Childhood
Edwin Witte was born January 4, 1887, into a German immigrant family near Watertown, Wisconsin. He was raised Moravian - a Protestant faith which greatly emphasized the ideals of morality and service. According to his grandson John, he also "had ingrained a deep sense of German Social Democracy". Although he did not practice any religion in his adult life, he was instilled with the ideals of social justice. |
Time at the University of Wisconsin
He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) beginning in 1905, and became involved with an intellectual social group, amusing himself with debate and politics. Also an active member of the Young Socialist club, he was, however, moderate - a compassionate and pragmatic social democrat.
While earning his undergraduate degree in history, he was advised by Professor Frederick Jackson Turner to study under economist John Commons. Witte's intellectual character was profoundly shaped by Commons' innovative economic vision; he went on to earn his doctorate in the field in 1927. |
Adult Life and Career
Ed Witte married Florence Rimsnider in 1916 and had three children. He returned to the university as a full-time Professor of Economics in 1933 and continued to lend his expertise to advance public welfare. |
Above, Edwin's grandson, UW-professor John Witte, recalls his infallible dedication to teaching. Throughout his life and career Witte blended service to state and national agencies with his educational duties, spreading the "Wisconsin Idea" as far as possible.
Ed Witte was more than a man with a vast, encyclopedic knowledge, more than a person with the unusual ability to draft single-handedly complex laws and reports on a wide range of labor, legal, social, and economic matters. He was a patient and helpful teacher, a man of humility, & a person of absolute integrity.
- Wilbur J. Cohen, student and friend of Witte
Over decades of work he kept complete record of his correspondences (example above). Despite deteriorating health, he worked through his golden years teaching, serving countless organizations, traveling to speak about Social Security, serving as president of the American Economic Association, and drafting a history of social insurance in America. On May 20, 1960, Ed Witte passed away at age 73.