History Professor Sheds Light on Rural Electrification at WSU

OGDEN, Utah – Although history generally credits government for rural electrification, it was utilities and colleges that helped quadruple electricity to farms.

With degrees in physics and history, Virginia Tech professor Richard Hirsh has reexamined the history of rural electrification in the 1920s and 1930s and will discuss his findings at the Weber Historical Society’s upcoming lecture on Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. in Weber State University’s Alumni Center Dumke Legacy Hall. Hirsh also will speak earlier in the day about the modern perspective on energy growth in America from 1:30- 2:30 p.m. in Stewart Library Hetzel-Hoellein Room. Both events are free and open to the public.

Historical accounts of rural electrification described in high school and college textbooks typically focus on President Roosevelt’s New Deal efforts to provide electricity to farmers, so they could enjoy modern conveniences and employ productivity-enhancing equipment. Through government assistance and the Rural Electrification Administration, created in 1935, 80 percent of farmers obtained electricity by 1950, up from about 10 percent in 1931.

In his WSU presentation, Hirsh will focus less on big government and more on private utility companies and their allies in state agricultural colleges in the 1920s.  “Instead of shaming the utilities, as most historians do, I explain the context in which the investor-owned firms worked,” Hirsh said of his research. “Moreover, I demonstrate that, in an era before people expected big government to do much, private utilities actually undertook significant efforts to electrify farms.” Though rarely discussed, utilities and colleges helped quadruple the number of farms that gained access to electricity in years between 1923 and 1931. 

Hirsh will explain not only how the history of rural electrification needs to be reinterpreted, but also why the heroic view of the government’s New Deal efforts became the standard explanation offered in textbooks. Moreover, he will argue that the successful government work after 1935 drew on earlier research performed by utilities and colleges.  In the end, the revised story of rural electrification may provide a model for how government and private interests can work together to achieve socially beneficial results. 

Hirsh holds an undergraduate degree in American history, a master’s degree in physics and a doctorate in the history of science. He began his career as a historian of space science for NASA and as a research fellow at the National Air and Space Museum. However, Hirsh discovered his passion for electric power policy after being appointed chairman of a citizen’s committee to create a new electricity rate structure for Gainesville, Florida.

“In a way, I discovered that the electric power system was more than just a technical entity,” Hirsh said. “Understanding how it operates today requires knowledge and appreciation for engineering — obviously — but also of philosophy, business management, regulation, culture and, of course, history. Though I still retain an interest in the history of astronomy and physics, I liked studying something that has contemporary applicability.”

Hirsh is the author of several books, including “Technology and Transformation in the American Electric Utility Industry” (1989) and “Power Loss: The Origins of Deregulation and Restructuring in the American Electric Utility System” (1999). He has also published articles in the Harvard Business Review, The Electricity Journal, and Technology and Culture.

The next lecture in the series will be “Water in Utah” on Oct. 19, with WSU English professor Hal Crimmel and WSU alumni and historical filmmaker Isaac Goeckeritz discussing their two short films based on Crimmel’s recent book “Desert Water: The Future of Utah’s Water Sources.”

The event is part of the Weber Historical Society Fall 2015 Lecture Series. It is presented by the WSU Alumni Association, the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, the Department of History, Stewart Library and the Weber Historical Society. For more information visit weber.edu/History/weberhistoricalsociety.html.

Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.

Author:

Jennifer Solvieg Perry, College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
801-626-7948 jenniferperry1@weber.edu

Contact:

Eric Swedin, history professor
801-395-3553 eswedin@weber.edu