Frederick C. Mosher
Encyclopedia
Frederick Camp "Fritz" Mosher (1913 – May 21, 1990 in Charlottesville, Virginia
) was a professor of government and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia
who strongly influenced a generation of scholars in public administration
with his many writings, and government administrator. Mosher was an important member of the second generation of public administration scholars along with his close friend, Dwight Waldo
, and others who helped define the modern structure and function of the field as taught in hundreds of PA programs around the world.
. He has a master's degree from Syracuse University
. He received his doctorate (Ph. D.) in public administration from Harvard University
in 1950. He taught at Syracuse University
, the University of California, Berkeley
, and University of Bologna
, before moving to the University of Virginia's Department of Government and Foreign Affairs.
He served with the Tennessee Valley Authority
, the Public Administration Clearing House and the Los Angeles Department of Civil Service early in his career. Mosher, a specialist in budgeting and personnel administration, served as a consultant to several Government agencies and task forces and was editor in chief of Public Administration Review
(1951–1954).
Mosher wrote widely on the subject of governance and public administration. He authored, coauthored, and edited books on subjects such as government staffing, presidential transitions, government agency reorganization, city services management, and the federal government's General Accounting Office (now Government Accountability Office
).
Mosher perhaps is best known for his book, Democracy and the Public Service, published by Oxford University Press in 1968, a work that has influenced countless civil servants in governments around the world. According to Professor Jeremy F. Plant, a 1990 poll of public administration scholars "ranked Democracy and the Public Service as the fifth most influential book published between 1940 and 1990". In the book, which is a series of lectures, Mosher grapples with the evolving nature of the civil servants who staff agencies, and considers how they might be educated and trained, and how to reconcile their expertise with respect for democratic governance.
He died of emphysema
on Monday, May 21, 1990, at his home in Charlottesville (VA) at the age of 76 years.
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
) was a professor of government and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
who strongly influenced a generation of scholars in public administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
with his many writings, and government administrator. Mosher was an important member of the second generation of public administration scholars along with his close friend, Dwight Waldo
Dwight Waldo
Dwight Waldo was an American political scientist and is perhaps the defining figure in modern public administration. Waldo's career was often directed against a scientific/technical portrayal of bureaucracy and government that now suggests the term public management as opposed to public...
, and others who helped define the modern structure and function of the field as taught in hundreds of PA programs around the world.
Life
Mosher was a graduate of Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
. He has a master's degree from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. He received his doctorate (Ph. D.) in public administration from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1950. He taught at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and University of Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
, before moving to the University of Virginia's Department of Government and Foreign Affairs.
He served with the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
, the Public Administration Clearing House and the Los Angeles Department of Civil Service early in his career. Mosher, a specialist in budgeting and personnel administration, served as a consultant to several Government agencies and task forces and was editor in chief of Public Administration Review
Public Administration Review
Public Administration Review is a bi-monthly academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Society for Public Administration. The editor is Richard J. Stillman II....
(1951–1954).
Mosher wrote widely on the subject of governance and public administration. He authored, coauthored, and edited books on subjects such as government staffing, presidential transitions, government agency reorganization, city services management, and the federal government's General Accounting Office (now Government Accountability Office
Government Accountability Office
The Government Accountability Office is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. It is located in the legislative branch of the United States government.-History:...
).
Mosher perhaps is best known for his book, Democracy and the Public Service, published by Oxford University Press in 1968, a work that has influenced countless civil servants in governments around the world. According to Professor Jeremy F. Plant, a 1990 poll of public administration scholars "ranked Democracy and the Public Service as the fifth most influential book published between 1940 and 1990". In the book, which is a series of lectures, Mosher grapples with the evolving nature of the civil servants who staff agencies, and considers how they might be educated and trained, and how to reconcile their expertise with respect for democratic governance.
He died of emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
on Monday, May 21, 1990, at his home in Charlottesville (VA) at the age of 76 years.
Distinctions
- William E. Mosher and Frederick C. Mosher Award (William E. and/& Frederick C. Mosher Award, sometimes: William E. Mosher Award/Frederick C. Mosher Award)
Biography
- Max O. Stephenson, Jr.Max O. Stephenson, Jr.Max Stephenson is a scholar of civil society and public administration at Virginia Tech. He is also co-founder and director of the Institute for Policy and Governance at Virginia Tech, a center for the study of civil society and its institutions....
and Jeremy Plant: The Legacy of Frederick C. Mosher. Public Administration Review, Vol. 51, No. 2, March/April 1991.