Science in the Federal Government: A History of Policies and Activities

by A. Hunter Dupree

Now returned to print with a new preface by the author. Science in the Federal Government remains one of the finest and most comprehensive surveys of the history of American science. A. Hunter Dupree traces the evolution of the relationship bewteen government and science, emphasizing the continuous debate over the form, implementation, even the desirability of national science policy. From the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to the onset of World War II, Dupress shows, federal involvement in science centered on key national interests-geographical exploration and expansion, agriculture and conservation, medicine and public health, industry and the military. Dupree examines the roles and the impact of significant individuals and such institutions as the Smithsonian, the Geological Survey, the national Academy of Sciences, and the National institutes of Health. In an extensive new preface, he discusses developments through the 1980s, paying special attention to the expansion of government-university partnership in the warek of Sputnik .

Genres: History, Science

460 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

A pioneer in field of the history of science and technology in the United States, Anderson Hunter Dupree earned his B.A. from Oberlin College in 1942, and his M.A. (1947) and Ph.D. (1952) from Harvard University. Dupree taught at Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) from 1950 until 1952, after which he served two terms as a research fellow at the Gray Herbarium at Harvard University. Dupree taught at the University of California Berkeley from 1958 until 1968, and at Brown University from 1968 until 1981, when he retired as the George L. Littlefield Professor of History.

Reviews

[Jeff Greason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dry as dust, but if you want an understanding of the structure of the Federal government's involvement in both basic and applied research in the period going up to the outbreak of WW2, I can't think of a better source.