Edward Alsworth Ross

Edward Alsworth Ross (December 12, 1866 – July 22, 1951) was an American sociologist and university professor, journalist, and publicist. A leading figure in the American Sociological Association, he helped found its journal American Journal of Sociology.

He had wide-ranging interests in eugenics and criminology. An adherent of the American Progressive movement in his early career, with a special interest in the protection of the rights of white workers and the white working-class. He soon gained and has kept an enduring reputation as a racist and eugenicist for his vocal opposition to the rights of Asians in California, as well opposing their further immigration into the United States.

Early life

Ross was born in Virden, Illinois. His father was a farmer. He attended Coe College, graduating in 1887. After two years as an instructor at a business school, the Fort Dodge Commercial Institute, he went to Germany for graduate study at the University of Berlin. He returned to the U.S., and in 1891 he received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in political economy under Richard T. Ely, with minors in philosophy and ethics. He has been described as a disciple of Lester Ward, a pioneering sociologist.

Academic career

Ross was on the faculty at Indiana University (1891–1892), Cornell University (1892–1893), Stanford University (1893–1900), the University of Nebraska (1900–1904) and the University of Wisconsin (1905–1937). He was also secretary of the American Economic Association (1892).

In the field of economics, he made contributions to the study of taxation, debt management, value theory, uncertainty, and location theory.