John Kenneth Galbraith

Professor John Kenneth Galbraith, OC , Ph.D , LL.D (born October 15, 1908) is the most widely read economist of the twentieth century. The Canadian-born author of four dozen books and over one thousand articles was on the faculty of Harvard University from 1934 to 1975 (where he remains a professor emeritus). He served in the administrations of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson. In 1961, Kennedy appointed him ambassador to India, where he served until 1963. Although he is a former president of the American Economic Association, Galbraith is considered something of an iconoclast by many mainstream economists because he eschews mathematical modeling in favor of non-technical political economics. He is also an "old-fashioned" Keynesian with progressive values and a gift for writing. His work includes scores of popular books on economic topics in which he describes ways in which economic theory does not always mesh with real life. Publication in 2004 of a highly praised biography, John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics has renewed widespread interest in his career and his ideas.

Life

Galbraith was born in Iona Station, Ontario and was raised in Dutton, Ontario. He earned his B.Sc degree from the Ontario Agricultural College (then affiliated with the University of Toronto, and now the University of Guelph) in 1931, and then received an M.Sc (1933) and Ph.D. (1934) from the University of California at Berkeley. http://post.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/galbraith/bio.html

Related Topics:
Iona Station - Ontario - Dutton, Ontario - B.Sc - Ontario Agricultural College - University of Toronto - University of Guelph - M.Sc - 1933 - Ph.D. - 1934 - University of California at Berkeley

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During World War II, Galbraith was America's "price czar", charged with keeping inflation from crippling the war effort. He served brillliantly as deputy head of the Office of Price Administration. At the end of the war, he was asked to carry out a survey of US and allied strategic bombing, and concluded that it served no use and did not shorten the war. After the war, he became an advisor to post-war administrations in Germany and Japan.

Related Topics:
World War II - Office of Price Administration - Strategic bombing - Germany - Japan

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Galbraith served as editor of Fortune magazine from 1943 until 1948. In 1949, Galbraith was appointed professor of economics at Harvard University.

Related Topics:
Fortune - 1943 - 1948 - 1949 - Harvard University

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He was a friend of President John F. Kennedy and was appointed by Kennedy as U.S. ambassador to India from 1961 to 1963. There he attempted to aid the Indian government with developing its economy. While in India, he helped establish one of the first computer science departments at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Related Topics:
John F. Kennedy - U.S. ambassador - India - 1961 - 1963 - Indian Institute of Technology - Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

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In 1972 he served as president of the American Economic Association. In 1997 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Related Topics:
1972 - 1997 - Order of Canada

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Galbraith is married to Catherine Atwater, whom he met while she was a Radcliffe student. They have three sons. They reside in Cambridge, Massachusetts and have a summer home in Newfane, Vermont.

Related Topics:
Radcliffe - Cambridge, Massachusetts - Newfane, Vermont

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At nearly 97, Galbraith is one of the few living advisors to President Franklin Roosevelt. There is currently speculation, fueled by comments made by former U.S. president Bill Clinton, that Galbraith's health is in a rapidly declining state.

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Galbraith's son James K. Galbraith is a prominent (and iconoclastic) economist.

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