Seidman, Harold

Official and employee, U.S. Bureau of the Budget, consultant, and political science teacher, University of Connecticut and other institutions; b. 1911.

From the description of Harold Seidman papers, 1930-1980. (University of Connecticut). WorldCat record id: 28420340

Harold Seidman was born in Brooklyn, NY on 2 July 1911. He attended Brown University for both his undergraduate (A.B., 1934) and graduate degrees (M.A., 1935). During the summers, Seidman worked on the editorial staff of the magazine, The Nation . In 1938, he entered the Ph.D. program at Yale University while working for the City of New York's Department of Investigation, under Thomas E. Dewey . From 1940 until 1943, Seidman was awarded the Ph.D. in Government and continued to work for the Department of Investigation, as Director of Research.

In 1943, Seidman became a Management Analyst with the U.S. Bureau of the Budget, as a member of the Government Organization Branch. While a member of the Bureau staff, Seidman was responsible for a variety of public policy issues. He was involved in the creation of the Marshall Plan and the development of the European Recovery Corporation under President Truman. He played a major role in the passage of the St. Lawrence Seaway Project, testified on the admission of Alaska and Hawaii into statehood and on the government's role towards the territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, the Panama Canal and Ryker Island . Seidman became Chief of the Government Organization Branch in 1961, under President Kennedy, and later Assistant Director of Management and Organization under President Johnson in 1964. He remained with the Bureau until 1968.

After retiring from government service in 1968, Seidman acted as a consultant to the government on numerous projects. He served on President Nixon's ASH Council on Executive Office Reorganization. He consulted for the government in Colombia, Guatemala, Iran, South Vietnam and Turkey . He continued to counsel the U.S. government on matters of government operations.

Seidman is a prolific writer. Between 1930 and 1984, he wrote articles and books on public administration, racketeering, and government organization. His articles have been published in scholarly journals. He also published two books, Labor Czars: A History of Labor Racketeering and Politics (1938) and Politics, Position and Power: The Dynamics of Federal Organization (1970).

Between 1952 and 1984, Seidman brought his varied government experiences to the classroom. He was a Lecturer at George Washington University (1952-1953), Visiting Professor at the University of Southern California (1962), Scholar-in-Residence at the National Academy of Public Administration (1969-1970), a Research Fellow, Visiting Lecturer and Visiting Professor at Leeds University (U.K., 1971-1975) and Professor in the Political Science department at the University of Connecticut (1971- 1984).

From the guide to the Harold Seidman Papers., undated, 1930-1980., (Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center .)