Harry Gordon Johnson
Harry Gordon Johnson | |
---|---|
Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | May 26, 1923
Died | May 9, 1977 | (aged 53)
Nationality | Canadian |
Academic career | |
Institution | University of Chicago, London School of Economics, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies |
Field | Economics |
School or tradition | Monetarism |
Alma mater | University of Cambridge, University of Toronto, Harvard University |
Doctoral advisor | James Duesenberry |
Influences | Joseph Schumpeter |
Harry Gordon Johnson, OC (26 May 1923 – 9 May 1977) was a Canadian economist who studied topics such as international trade and international finance.
Appointed professor of economics at Manchester University in 1956, he left upon being appointed Professor of Economics at the
In 1976 the Canadian government named him an officer of the Order of Canada and in 1977 he was named a distinguished fellow of the American Economic Association.
The Canadian Economics Association awards an annual Harry G. Johnson Prize for the best paper published in the Canadian Journal of Economics.
Early life and education
He was born on 26 May 1923 in
Johnson was educated at the University of Toronto schools and then obtained scholarships to the University of Toronto, where he studied law and economics. According to W. Max Corden in the Oxford Dictionary of Biography, it was at this time that he "developed an interest in the history of thought and was much influenced by
In 1948 he married Elizabeth Scott, daughter of Harold Victor Serson, civil engineer. She later became one of the editors of the collected writings of Keynes. They had one son and one daughter.
Career
This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2020) |
He held permanent teaching positions throughout Europe and Canada, as well as visiting positions at universities worldwide. Notable were his time with Chicago from 1959 to 1977, also during 1966–74 he worked at the London School of Economics. He also held a visiting professorship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and he briefly was professor at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva until his death.
As Johnson was universally known, was an inveterate conference-goer. In addition he visited innumerable universities, especially in Canada and in Asia. He "circled the globe like a planet" (Scott 80). This travelling style began in the fifties when he was teaching refresher courses for economists in Karachi and Singapore. His travelling and ubiquitousness became legendary.
Physically, he was a large man, overweight or at least stout, with piercing dark brown eyes. But he was far from sluggish, and gave an impression of intense and disciplined intellectual and physical energy. He was often loudly and informally dressed. His energy was kept under control by his continuous
Economist Jagdish Bhagwati, writing about Johnson's productivity and accessibility, said, "Countless numbers of manuscripts would reach him, from aspiring students of international economics and somehow Harry found the energy and time to read them carefully and write back to the authors promptly. ... once ... when he was staying with us, my wife asked him what he had been doing in the early hours of the morning when we had been still asleep. 'I read two manuscripts, one indifferent and the other bad; what is worse, I could have written one good paper in that time.' "[1]
He was a strong drinker and his reputation at
Harry Johnson died of a stroke in Geneva on 9 May 1977; he was survived by his wife. The enormous admiration and affection for Johnson was reflected in the numerous obituaries by members of the economics profession that appeared soon afterwards. "For the economics profession throughout the world, the third quarter of this century was an Age of Johnson" (Tobin 443). "He bestrode our discipline like a Colossus", "He was an institution" (ibid.). "Canada lost one of its greatest sons". He was "larger than life’ (the most common remark). "The one and only Harry" (The Economist, 14 May 1977, 121).
Legacy
Johnson made many contributions to the development of
The Canadian Economics Association presents a Harry Johnson Prize every year for the best article to appear in the Canadian Journal of Economics in the preceding year.
Opinions
He retained a lifelong interest in Canadian politics and was heavily critical of nationalist and interventionist policies that prevailed at his time.
In his policy-oriented writings, he clearly showed his beliefs in personal freedom and markets.
Selected works
Writings
Johnson published many works on international and monetary economics theory. He also wrote many works aimed at the general public and policymakers.
According to Paul Samuelson, when Johnson died he had eighteen papers in proof: "That is dying with your boots on!" said Samuelson
Johnson earned many honours. In 1977 he was named a distinguished fellow of the American Economic Association, and in 1976 the Canadian government named him an officer of the Order of Canada.
Johnson wrote a large number of books and articles, the total of his writings were:
- 526 professional articles
- 41 books and pamphlets
- 1953. "Optimum Tariffs and Retaliation." Review of Economic Studies 21, no. 2: 142–153.
- 1958. "Demand Theory Further Revised or Goods Are Goods," Economica, 2, 98: 149.
- 1959. "British Monetary Statistics." Economica 26 (February): 1–17.
- 1961. "The ‘General Theory’ After Twenty-five Years." American Economic Review 51 (May): 1–17.
- 1963. The Canadian Quandary: Economic Problems and Policies. Toronto: McGraw-Hill.
- 1968. Economic Policies Towards Less Developed Countries. London.
- 1969. Essays in Monetary Economics. 2d ed. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- 1969. "Financial and monetary problems: Britain and the EEC", in Economics: Britain and the EEC. London: Longmans (Ed. by M.A.G. van Meerhaeghe).
- 1971. "The Keynesian Revolution and the Monetarist Counter-revolution." American Economic Review 61 (May): 1–14.
- 1972. Further Essays in Monetary Economics. London: George Allen and Unwin.
- 1973. The Theory of Income Distribution. London: Gray-Mills.
Bibliography
- Donald Moggridge: Harry Johnson. A Life in Economics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008. (]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-107-40527-1, retrieved 17 August 2013
- ISBN 978-0-226-75335-5, retrieved 17 August 2013
- ISBN 978-1-107-40527-1, retrieved 17 August 2013
- ^ a b c Corden, W. Max, "Johnson, Harry Gordon (1923–1977)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edition, 23 September 2004. Retrieved 8 April 2018 (subscription required)
- ^ "Harry Gordon Johnson (1923–1977)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- Who's Who & Who Was Who. Vol. 2018 (online ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)