(From Guide to the James Cecil Nelson Papers, 1934-1975, Cage 369)
Professor Emeritus James Cecil Nelson, internationally known transportation economist, was born in Bickleton, Washington, on October 5, 1908. Nelson received his B.A. from the University of Washington in 1930, his M.A. from Ohio State University in 1931, and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1934. Nelson was a DuPont fellow, 1932-1934, and also a research fellow at the Brookings Institution from 1933 to 1934. After receiving his doctorate, Nelson served on the faculties of several universities and also worked for more than a year with the Washington Department of Public Service. In 1938 Nelson joined the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture, as a senior transportation economist. In 1941 he became the principal transportation economist with the National Resources Planning Board.
During the Second World War, Nelson worked with a number of Federal agencies. He served first as assistant director in charge of regulatory policy studies, Division of Economic Studies, Board of Investigation and Research (1941-1944), and later as assistant director, Division of Review and Special Studies, Office of Defense Transportation (1944-1945). Before returning to academic life in 1947, he served as chief of the Transportation Division, Office of Domestic Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce (1945-1947).
In 1947 Nelson joined the faculty of Washington State University as Professor of Economics and Transportation in the Department of Economics, a position he held until his retirement in September 1974. In addition to his teaching, research, and writing at WSU, Nelson served as a consultant for the Washington State Legislature's Joint Fact-Finding Committee on Highways, Streets, and Bridges, as well as the Legislative Research Committee of the North Dakota Legislature (1948-1952). He also served as a consultant for, among others: the Royal Commission on Transportation, Alberta, Canada (1960); the Federation of Nigeria (1960-1961); the Royal Government of Afghanistan (1963); Pembina Pipe Line Limited, Calgary, Alberta (1961, 1962); A. T. and S. F.; Railway (1961-1968); American Automobile Manufacturers Association (1966); and the Pacific Island Tariff Bureau (1969). In 1956-1957, Nelson was a senior staff member at the Brookings Institution. He also served as visiting professor at the University of Wisconsin (1964), University of British Columbia (fall, 1975), and Monash University, Melbourne, Australia (1975). Nelson's research has resulted in numerous articles in professional journals and a number of books, among which are: Railroad Transportation and National Policy (1959), Transportation Problems and Policies in the Trans-Missouri West (1967), The Future of American Transportation (1971), Perspectives on Regional Transportation Planning (1973), Perspectives on Federal Transportation Policy (1975), and Railway Pricing under Commercial Freedom: The Canadian Experience (1977).
In honor of Dr. Nelson, WSU awards the James C. Nelson Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in Transportation Economics.
This collection contains professional papers of Dr. James Cecil Nelson (1908-2000), Professor of Economics and Transportation at Washington State University. The collection primarily pertains to Dr. Nelson's research on transportation systems, including regulation, freight rates, and interstate commerce, within the United States and globally. The collection includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, legal documents, state and national reports, speeches, various publications, as well as other related research materials. Additionally, the collection contains papers related to Dr. Nelson's time as a professor at WSU from 1947 to 1974.
Preliminary Inventory:
MS.1981.10
Boxes 1-2: Correspondence, research notes, newspaper clippings, speeches, public testimonies, publications, as well as state and federal reports pertaining to transportation regulation, freight rates, and interstate commerce, between 1952 and 1974.
MS.1981.17
Boxes 1-2: Research notes, publications, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and legal documents pertaining to transportation regulation in the United States and Canada, between 1955 and 1979.
Box 3: Research notes, publications, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and legal documents pertaining to the railroad industry including its development, restructuring, and related taxation policies, between 1969 to 1980.
Box 4: Research notes, publications, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and legal documents pertaining to the taxation and efficiency of U.S. transportation, between 1939 and 1971.
Box 5: Papers and publications related to hearings and reports by the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, between 1961 and 1975.
Box 6: Research notes, publications, and teaching materials pertaining to upper division Economic courses taught by Dr. Nelson, between 1937 and 1974.
Boxes 7-8: Papers and publications related to hearings and reports by the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, between 1947 and 1974.
Box 9: Research notes, publications, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and legal documents pertaining to European railway developments, pricing, and regulations, between 1950 and 1974.
Box 10: Papers and publications related to a National Transportation Policy Study between 1978 and 1979.
Box 11: Papers and publications related to hearings and reports by the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, between 1962 and 1967.
Boxes 12.1-12.2: Papers related to annual reports by the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as research and publications pertaining to transportation regulation, between 1931 and 1972.
Box 13: Papers and publications related to hearings and finance reports by the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, in 1967.
Box 14: Papers and publications related to research on transportation regulations and taxation, railroad mergers, as well as hearings and reports by the U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission, between 1956 and 1977.
Box 15: Papers, reports, and publications pertaining to U.S. and British transportation policies, as well as materials related to American and European symposia on transportation issues, between 1957 and 1974.
Box 16: Papers pertaining to Dr. Nelson's research and teaching materials, between 1951 and 1974.
Box 17: Research notes, publications, and papers related to Canadian and French transportation systems, between 1957 and 1974.
Box 18: Research materials on global transportation systems including notes, interviews, correspondence, and publications pertaining to the nation of Afghanistan, Nigeria, and the U.S., between 1959 and 1978.
Box 19: Papers related to transportation litigation involving Santa Fe and Western Pacific railways, between 1961 and 1963.
Box 20: Papers related to court cases pertaining to railway transportation, as well as research materials pertaining to global transportation including Great Britain, South African, and various European nations, between 1932 and 1978.
Box 21: Papers related to Canadian transportation systems, including reports and publications, between 1951 and 1978.
Box 22: Research materials including documents from the Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as legal documents and legislation related to U.S. transportation, between 1946 and 1979.
Box 23: Publications related to transportation research, and papers pertaining to Canadian transportation systems, between 1965 and 1978.
Box 24: Research on transportation and Dr. Nelson's teaching materials, between 1936 and 1975.
Box 25: Teaching materials and papers related to the European Economic Community Commission as well as other documents pertaining to European nations, between 1945 and 1948.
Box 26: Papers related to transportation policies in the U.S. as well as in Scandinavian and European nations, between 1945 and 1978.
Box 27: Papers related to the United States Department of Transportation as well as numerous publications on transportation policies in the U.S. and in Europe, between 1959 and 1977.
Box 28: Various publications on transportation and official reports from the Committee on International and Foreign Commerce, between 1951 and 1980.
Box 29: Research materials related to a book manuscript on U.S. transportation regulation, between 1953 and 1957.
Box 30: Papers, publications, and reports related to Australian transportation systems, between 1962 and 1978.
Boxes 31-32: Research materials on U.S. transportation regulations, including reports, newspaper, articles, and publications, between 1937 and 1979.
Box 33: Research materials and professional papers, between 1949 and 1980.
Box 34: Research papers and teaching materials, between 1936 and 1976.
Box 35: Papers related to research and public presentations on transportation systems and regulation, between 1949 and 1974.
Boxes 36-37: Correspondence, research materials, and professional papers of Dr. Nelson, between 1933 and 1980.
Boxes 38-39: Research materials pertaining to a railways transportation study, and papers related to an oral history project, between 1956 and 1986.
MS.1984.27
Boxes 1-2:Papers related to transportation and freight rate policies in Australia, Canada, Nigeria, and the United States, as well as various research notes, manuscript copies and publications by Dr. Nelson, between 1942 and 1983.
MS.1984.66
Boxes 1-2: Dr. Nelson's research materials pertaining to railway transportation policies and freight rates, including research notes, publications, and industry reports between 1946 and 1974.
Boxes 3-5: Publications as well as official studies and reports on U.S. transportation systems and various transportation policies, between 1937 and 1982.
MS.1987.11
Box 1: Research notes, publications, and manuscript copies of Dr. Nelson's professional writings on transportation systems, between 1953 and 1958.
Boxes 2-3: Research notes, reports, correspondence, and publications pertaining to transportation systems and railway policies, between 1947 and 1959.
Box 4: Papers related to transportation systems and policies in Great Britain, as well as manuscript copies of Dr. Nelson's professional writings, between 1948 and 1978.
Box 5: Research materials including energy studies and transportation reports from the U.S. and Great Britain, as well as research notes and publications, between 1935 and 1981.
MS.1987.19
Box 1: Research materials on transportation systems, including notes, correspondence, and related publications, between 1949 and 1979.
Box 2: Papers related to Australian transportation regulations, between 1970 and 1982.
Boxes 3-4: Research materials including reports and publications pertaining to U.S. transportation systems and policies, between 1932 and 1986.
Boxes 5-8: Research materials including correspondence, reports, newspaper articles, and publications pertaining to Nigerian, Australian, British, German, and U.S. transportation systems, between 1945 and 1987.
Boxes 9-11: Research materials pertaining to U.S. transportation systems and interstate regulation, including reports, publications, correspondence, notes, and newspaper articles, between 1940 and 1980.
Box 12: Research materials pertaining to U.S. transportation systems and interstate regulation, as well as a folder on Nigerian transportation policies, between 1942 and 1973.
This is an unprocessed collection. Arrangement reflects a pre-existing order from the records’ creators or previous custodians.
Several of the boxes have been organized into folders, although the reasoning behind such organization is not overtly apparent. In MS.1981.17, only box #2 is not organized in folders. In MS.1987.19, only box #1 is not organized in folders, and box #10 is only partially organized in folders.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
Preliminary Guide to the James Cecil Nelson Papers, circa 1931-1987 (MSSM.068)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Donated to the Washington State University Libraries by James C. Nelson in 1981 (MS.1981.10; MS.1981.17), in 1984 (MS.1984.27; MS.1984.66), and 1987 (MS.1987.11; MS.1987.19).
James Cecil Nelson Papers, 1934-1975 (Cage 369)
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.