The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Bemis, Edward Webster
BEMIS, Edward Webster, American
economist and public utility expert: b. Springfield,
Mass., 7 April 1860. He was graduated at
Amherst College in 1880; received degree of
Ph.D. in 1885 at Johns Hopkins University
after over three years' advanced work in
economics and history; was a pioneer lecturer in
the university extension system, 1887-88;
professor of economics and history, Vanderbilt
University, 1889-92; and associate professor of
economics, University of Chicago, 1892-95. In
1897 he was professor of economics and history
in the Kansas State Agricultural College. He
was superintendent of the city water department
of Cleveland, Ohio, 1901-09; deputy commissioner
of water supply, gas and electricity of
New York, 1910; consulting expert for cities and

States on public utilities since 1910. He is now
a member of the advisory board, valuation
division, Interstate Commerce Commission, city
representative on board of supervising
engineers, Chicago Traction, and director of valuations
of public utilities for the District of
Columbia, the city of Dallas and other places.
He published ‘Municipal Monopolies’ (1899)
and many scientific studies of co-operation,
trades unions, immigration, etc., but since 1900
has chiefly confined his writing to technical
reports for various public bodies.