Terrorism, National Security & Conflict Studies
Making Democracy Work: The Life and Letters of Luther Gulick, 1892-1993
Lyle C. Fitch, 436pp, Book # 3710, $21.95
Luther Halsey Gulick became a public administration legend in the course of a lifetime devoted to civic duty and public service. Every important work published in the field in the latter half of the twentieth century bears his imprint. He is quite literally a founding father of the discipline, having drafted the original resolution establishing the American Society for Public Administration.
Gulick is best known for his work as a member of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Committee on Administrative Management. Their report, Papers on the Science of Administration, led to the most thoroughgoing changes in the executive branch since the adoption of the Constitution. Gulick’s own Notes on the Theory of Organization became an instant classic, anticipating the direction of later research while establishing benchmarks for future theorists. He coined the acronym POSDCORB for the seven functions of the chief executive and provided an explication of the principles of hierarchical organization.
Always at the forefront of his field, Gulick served in several defense agencies during World War II, was city administrator of New York City, and had a hand in the formation and development of the Brookings Institution, the International Management Association, the Public Administration Clearing House, the American Society for Public Administration, the National Academy of Public Administration, and the National Planning Association. He served as director of the Institute of Public Administration for 40 years and chaired its board of trustees for another 21 years.
Lyle Fitch, a close friend and valued colleague, worked closely with Gulick throughout his life and succeeded him in a number of key posts. This biography of Gulick is imbued with the warmth of their personal friendship and enhanced by the professional esteem they shared.