Brownlow Committee

The President's Committee on Administrative Management, commonly known as the Brownlow Committee or Brownlow Commission, was a committee that in 1937 recommended sweeping changes to the executive branch of the United States government. The recommendations made by the committee resulted in the creation of the Executive Office of the President. It had three members; they were Louis Brownlow, Charles Merriam, and Luther Gulick. The staff work was managed by James P. Harris, Director of Research for the committee.

The Reorganization Act of 1939 incorporated only two of the recommendations in the 53 page report delivered by the committee. However the Act provided to President Franklin D. Roosevelt the authority to make changes so that most of the various agencies and government corporations were organized within various cabinet level departments greatly improving accountability among the various agencies.

The most important results of the actions taken by Roosevelt were the creation of the Executive Office of the President and the creation of a group of six executive level administrative assistants.

Other similar commissions

Hoover Commission two commissions in 1947-1949 and 1953-1955.

The Grace Commission 1982-1984

National Partnership for Reinventing Government 1993-1998

References

Citation
last = Fesler
first = James W.
title = The Brownlow Committee Fifty Years Later
journal = Public Administration Review
volume = 47
pages = 291-296
date = Aug., 1987
year = 1987

ee also

* Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883
* Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
* Public administration
* Public administration theory