Students in one of my courses this semester will be listening to a 1947 WNYC radio broadcast on the repeal of the single transferable vote (STV) in New York City. I need to look back at the associated assignment, but part of it asks them to think about the sorts of arguments used in such campaigns.

The broadcast features a debate between George Hallett of the National Municipal League and state senator Abraham Kaplan (D), incidentally defeated on transfers for a city council seat in one of the final STV elections (possibly 1945).

Moderating the debate is Joseph Kitchin, listed by WNYC as a Professor of Political Science at Queens College. WNYC also refers to him as “Kitchen,” but this college bulletin (1947-8) refers to him as “Kitchin” instead and of Assistant Professor rank with a UMich Ph.D.

Does anyone know what came of Kitchin? I searched Google Scholar for him about a year ago, and I don’t recall much coming up. (Going back reveals a 1942 publication in international relations, possibly his dissertation.) I also looked for records of him during my stint at QC, and the archivist could find nothing — maybe because we were looking for “Kitchen” instead.