A few weeks before his death in 1932, Dr. Upjohn established the W.E. Upjohn Unemployment Trustee Corporation, which included a sizable parcel of land. Dr. Upjohn conceived of cooperative farming as a means of both maintaining income and preserving personal dignity during periods of widespread unemployment. On the farmland maintained by the Trustee Corporation, he envisioned laid-off workers growing enough food to support their families. It was his hope that this experiment would not only help meet the periodic local problem of joblessness, but also point the way for other communities to cure unemployment.

The present-day Institute was not established until 13 years after Dr. Upjohn set in motion his grand experiment. The farm program did not last long. The federal government soon stepped in to help the jobless by implementing public works programs and establishing an unemployment compensation system. Yet the concern about unemployment and sustainable employment remained a top national priority. The Trustees recognized the changing nature of economic conditions and the need for informed policy making. After consulting with leading social scientists of the day, they established an institute that would focus its resources on research into the causes and consequences of unemployment. On July 1, 1945, the Institute opened its doors and quickly went about creating a program to help returning veterans find jobs.

For sixty years, the Institute has carried out its mission of conducting research and informing policy makers on employment-related issues. We hope that, during the 21st century, researchers and policy makers will continue to look to the Upjohn Institute as a resource and catalyst for those seeking innovative ways to address chronic employment problems.