Joseph Bartlett Eastman
Encyclopedia
Joseph Bartlett Eastman was a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission
from 1919 until his death in 1944.
, New York
on June 26, 1882, to John Huse and Lucy (King) Eastman.
He prepared at Pottsville
, Pennsylvania
High School, then matriculated to Amherst College
, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in the class of 1904.
In 1905 he was the Amherst Fellow at South End House in Boston, Massachusetts
; from 1906 to 1913 he was secretary of the Public Franchise League
in Boston. From 1907 to 1908 he attended Boston University Law School. He made his reputation as counsel in various wage arbitrations from 1913 to 1914.
From 1915-1918 he was a member of the Public Service Commission of Massachusetts; in 1918 he was chairman of the War Committee National Association of Railway and Public Utility Commissioners; and he was appointed a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission
in 1919.
In 1933, he was nominated by Franklin D. Roosevelt, and confirmed by the Senate, to the position of Federal coordinator of transportation.
He died on March 15, 1944. The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College holds his papers.
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
from 1919 until his death in 1944.
Biography
Joseph Bartlett Eastman was born in KatonahKatonah, New York
Katonah, New York is one of three unincorporated hamlets within the town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, United States.-History:Katonah is named for Chief Katonah, an American Indian from whom the land of Bedford was purchased by a group of English colonists...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on June 26, 1882, to John Huse and Lucy (King) Eastman.
He prepared at Pottsville
Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Pottsville is the only city in and the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 15,549 at the 2000 census. The city lies along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, north-west of Philadelphia...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
High School, then matriculated to Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in the class of 1904.
In 1905 he was the Amherst Fellow at South End House in Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
; from 1906 to 1913 he was secretary of the Public Franchise League
Public Franchise League
The Public Franchise League was "a small informal group of high-minded citizens backed by Boston lawyer Louis D. Brandeis and Boston merchant Edward A. Filene."Its secretary from 1906 to 1913 was Joseph Bartlett Eastman....
in Boston. From 1907 to 1908 he attended Boston University Law School. He made his reputation as counsel in various wage arbitrations from 1913 to 1914.
From 1915-1918 he was a member of the Public Service Commission of Massachusetts; in 1918 he was chairman of the War Committee National Association of Railway and Public Utility Commissioners; and he was appointed a member of the Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
in 1919.
In 1933, he was nominated by Franklin D. Roosevelt, and confirmed by the Senate, to the position of Federal coordinator of transportation.
He died on March 15, 1944. The Archives and Special Collections at Amherst College holds his papers.