Howard Scott

Howard Scott was an engineer and founding member of the Technical Alliance and of Technocracy Inc. He was the Chief Engineer of both organisations and remained in that position in Technocracy Inc. until his death.

Early Years
Scott's early years remain a mystery. Many false rumours and stories circulated about him in the 1930s when technocracy came to the fore, such as him studying in Europe and obtaining a Doctorate from the University of Berlin. However, these stories were later shown as incorrect or failed to be substantiated. However, it was established that he had worked for the muscles shoals project during the First World War where he had been dismissed, after six months, because of, it was alleged, waste, inefficiency and poor workmanship.

Scott and the Technical Alliance


Scott, however, did become a member of the Soviet of Technicians that Thorstein Veblen had organised. From there he went on to establish the Technical Alliance, with a number of others including Veblen, and he worked on the Energy Survey of America. After the Alliance collapse after its first years he continued working on the Survey while living in Greenwich Village, New York. During this time he managed his own company selling floor wax and became well know in the area for talking about his ideas of social change. He also kept contact with Veblen, who was a great influence on Scott, until Veblen's death in 1929.

By the early 1930, Scott was working with a small group that included Frederick Ackerman, M. King Hubbert and Dal Hitchcock. The work so far conducted was present to Prof. Walter Rautenstrauch, whom arranged for the continuation of the Energy Survey and the reforming of the Technical Alliance at Columbia University.

Scott and Technocracy Inc.
Scott became the chief engineer of technocracy Inc. He remained in that position until his death in 1970. Whilst in that position he gained many supporters within the movement. Hubbert, for example, consider Scott extremely knowledgeable in physics. However, there was some discontent the Scots leadership during the Second World War and a number of technocrats broke away from Technocracy Inc. and established their own breakaway organisation which only lasted for about a year.