Private Charity and Public Inquiry A History of the Filer and Peterson Commissions Eleanor L. Brilliant The story of two commissions that had a major impact on philanthropic activity and public policy. In the midst of the tumultuous 1960s, the United States Congress turned its attention to issues of tax policy and philanthropy, with special focus on abuses and responsibilities of philanthropic foundations. During the period marked by passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1969, John D. Rockefeller 3rd was one of the staunchest defenders of philanthropy in public and in behind-the-scenes lobbying in Washington. This book is a history of two major commissions initiated by Rockefeller: The Commission on Foundations and Private Philanthropy (1969-1970), dubbed "The Peterson Commission" after its chairman, Peter G. Peterson; and The Commission on Private Philanthropy and Public Needs (1973-1977), headed by John H. Filer, and known as "The Filer Commission." Brilliant analyzes the significance of the two commissions with regard to philanthropy and public policy, and in light of the value that Americans place on voluntary associations. Using original documents of the two commissions, archival material, and extensive interviews with key informants, Brilliant shows how powerful individuals and groups influence tax policy in the United States. Her analysis provides new insights into the two sides of philanthropy doing good and getting rewarded for it through tax benefits. Eleanor L. Brilliant, Professor of Social Work at Rutgers University, teaches courses on social policy, management, organization theory, and women's issues. She is on the Graduate Faculty of Rutgers University and is a member of the Women's Studies Faculty. She is currently Vice President for Administration/Secretary of ARNOVA. Among her major publications are The United Way: Dilemmas of Organized Charity and The Urban Development Corporation: Private Interests and Public Authority. She is completing a national study of women's funds and the Women's Funding Network. Philanthropic Studies -- Dwight F. Burlingame and David C. Hammack, editors Contents Preface Note on Archival Sources Introduction Point and Counterpoint: Charities, New Committees, and Tax Policy Leading to Reform: Patman, Treasury, and Congress The Gathering Storm In Whose Interest? Law and Regulation The Peterson Commission: A Summation After the TRA: Emergence of a New Commission The Filer Commission in Action Filer Commission Follow Up: Missed Opportunities and Emergent New Groups Lessons from the Past and Issues for the Future

Philanthropy is everywhere. In 2013, in the United States alone, some $330 billion was recorded in giving, from large donations by the wealthy all the way down to informal giving circles. We tend to think of philanthropy as unequivocally good, but as the contributors to this book show, philanthropy is also an exercise of power. And like all forms of power, especially in a democratic society, it deserves scrutiny. Yet it rarely has been given serious attention. This book fills that gap, bringing together expert philosophers, sociologists, political scientists, historians, and legal scholars to ask fundamental and pressing questions about philanthropy’s role in democratic societies. The contributors balance empirical and normative approaches, exploring both the roles philanthropy has actually played in societies and the roles it should play. They ask a multitude of questions: When is philanthropy good or bad for democracy? How does, and should, philanthropic power interact with expectations of equal citizenship and democratic political voice? What makes the exercise of philanthropic power legitimate? What forms of private activity in the public interest should democracy promote, and what forms should it resist? Examining these and many other topics, the contributors offer a vital assessment of philanthropy at a time when its power to affect public outcomes has never been greater.

Nancy Beck Young's is the first book-length assessment of Texas Congressman Wright Patman's public life. Based on exhaustive research, this crisp congressional biography analyzes one of the twentieth century's most colorful and controversial legislators. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1928 and serving until his death in 1976, Patman combined populism with liberalism to fashion his own vision of how best to preserve the American Dream. Patman often operated on the margins of Washington politics, but through the force of his personality and his effectiveness as a speaker, he was able to coerce his colleagues to address his reform agenda. His abilities as a campaigner and his dependability as a Democratic vote in Congress on all questions except civil rights made him an important though sometimes unwelcome ally for the Democratic presidents under whom he served. From his earliest days in Congress Patman sought payment of a "bonus" for World War I veterans, to fulfill a debt to the men who fought for their country as well as to provide a depression relief and reform program that would expand the nation's currency. His assault on chain stores stemmed from his concern that they were destructive of mom-and-pop ventures as well as traditional American values and communities. During and after World War II he lobbied for programs beneficial to the small businesses he believed were victims of a federal policy that encouraged large multinational corporations. In the 1960s and 1970s he added a new dimension to his attack on elite privileges, maintaining that most large foundations existed not for charitable purposes but as tax dodges for the wealthy families that established them. His perennial crusade against the Federal Reserve and against high interest rates intensified as interest rates and inflation grew. Perhaps the most obvious evidence of his partisanship came with his aborted attempt to investigate Richard Nixon's activities in the Watergate affair prior to the 1972 election. The last major fight of his career was his futile effort to retain his chairmanship of the Banking and Currency Committee in 1975. His defeat was a testimonial to the changes liberalism underwent during his career in Washington, D.C. A new generation of reformers no longer cared about the economic populism that drove much of his agenda for forty-seven years. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in twentieth-century politics and policy development.