Hamer, John H.

About the author: John H. Hamer received his PhD in anthropology from Northwestern University. He has taught in many universities in the United States and Canada. His most recent appointment has been as Brown Foundation Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. He is the author of several books and numerous research papers.

America, Philanthropy and the Moral Order

2002 0-7734-7067-0
A sample of wealthy American philanthropists and non-philanthropists is explored seeking to understand why some gave of their wealth and others did not. It also focuses on the differences in the moral basis for wealth distribution between Americans and peoples in non-industrial societies, using examples from Native Americans, Oceanic, and African peoples. It compares earlier philanthropists with a small group of well-known American givers in the late 20th century. Figures examined include: John Crozer, John Wanamaker, John D. Rockefeller, John Pierpont Morgan; Andrew Mellon; Andrew Carnegie; Hetty Green, Collis Huntington, Jay Gould, Russell Sage, James Fisk, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Grenville Dodge, John Templeton, Ted Turner, and Bill Gates