John Kenneth Galbraith

@Intellectuals & Academics, Facts and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ John Kenneth Galbraith, the most famous economist from America, is best remembered for his iconic work, ‘The New Industrial State’ Canadian University Of California, Berkeley University Of Toronto Intellectuals & Academics Economists Libra Celebrities John Kenneth Galbraith was a very famous American economist best remembered for his prophetic commentary on the country’s political follies and for predicting the probable consequences of corporate greed and deregulated markets. He had an active interest in politics and was a loyal Democratic who served in the administrations of Franklin D Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and John F. Kennedy. During the Kennedy administration he had been the United States Ambassador to India. He studied agricultural economics in college and became a member of the faculty at the Harvard University where he taught for over five decades. The economist cum diplomat was a prolific writer and is regarded as the most widely read author on economics. His books have consistently been topping the best-sellers list starting from the 1950s all through the 2000s. His witty commentary, outspokenness and humorous way of bringing serious matters into perspective make him a much loved author. As an economist he was a believer in Keynesian philosophy and had tutored Adlai E. Stevenson, the Democratic nominee for president during 1952 and 1956 on Keynesian economics. For decades, "the best-known economist in the world" helped to redefine the way Americans understood economics and influenced the thinking of the Democratic Party leaders.

Personal Details

Birthday: October 15, 1908 Died on: April 29, 2006 Nationality: Canadian Famous: University Of California, Berkeley, University Of Toronto, Intellectuals & Academics, Economists Spouses: Catherine Galbraith Siblings: Alice, Archibald William, Catherine Childrens: Douglas Galbraith, J. Alan Galbraith, James K. Galbraith, Peter W. Galbraith Information Detail Birthday October 15, 1908 Died on April 29, 2006 Nationality Canadian Famous University Of California, Berkeley, University Of Toronto, Intellectuals & Academics, Economists Spouses Catherine Galbraith Siblings Alice, Archibald William, Catherine Childrens Douglas Galbraith, J. Alan Galbraith, James K. Galbraith, Peter W. Galbraith Universities University Of California, Berkeley,University Of Toronto University of Toronto University of California Ontario Agricultural College University of Guelph Notable Alumnis University Of California Berkeley University Of Toronto Birth Place Iona Station Religion Calvinist Gender Male Father Archibald Galbraith Mother Sarah Catherine Kendall Sun Sign Libra Born in Iona Station Famous as Economist Died at Age 97

Iona Station

John Kenneth Galbraith born at Unsplash Birth Place

He married Catherine Merriam Atwater in 1937. The couple had four children and remained married for 68 years till Galbraith’s death. He also had ten grandchildren. Unsplash Personal Life

After a long and productive life he died of natural causes in 2006, aged 97. Unsplash Personal Life

He was born as one of the four children of Archibald Galbraith and Sarah Catherine Kendall. His father was a farmer and school teacher while his mother was a community activist. He lost his mother when he was 14 years old. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He graduated from St. Thomas High School and later went to the Ontario’s Agricultural College from where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics in 1931. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He received a Giannini Scholarship in Agricultural Economics which enabled him to attend the University of California from where he received a Master of Science in 1933 and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics in 1934. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He found employment as an instructor at Harvard University in 1934 where he taught intermittently till 1939. He took a year-long fellowship at the University of Cambridge in 1937 where he came under the influence of the celebrated economist, John Maynard Keynes. Unsplash Career

He entered public service by joining the United States Department of Agriculture during the 1930s. He helped the Roosevelt administration in managing the economy during war preparations, rising to the position of the administrator of wage and price controls in the Office of Price Administration. However, his methods were believed by many to be controversial and he was forced to resign in 1943. Unsplash Career

He became a member of the board of editors of Fortune magazine in 1943 and served there till 1948. It was during this time that he realized his deep love for writing. He was appointed the Professor of economics at Harvard in 1949. Unsplash Career

During the World War II, a team of economists was formed to keep inflation under control as the economy had still not recovered from the Great Depression. He was made the deputy head of the Office of Price Administration (O.P.A) in 1941 and served till 1943. Unsplash Career

Henry Luce, the publisher of the ‘Time’ and ‘Fortune’ magazines hired him in 1943. For five years Galbraith wrote extensively about Keynesianism and believed it to be his moral duty to educate the Americans about how the economy worked and what roles were played by big corporations. Unsplash Career

The most famous economist of the contemporary times, Galbraith was a highly influential figure in the 20th century institutional economics. He served as the advisor to several prominent world leaders and authored numerous best-selling books on economics, including the highly popular ‘The Affluent Society’. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	October 15, 1908
Died on	April 29, 2006
Nationality	Canadian
Famous	University Of California, Berkeley, University Of Toronto, Intellectuals & Academics, Economists
Spouses	Catherine Galbraith
Siblings	Alice, Archibald William, Catherine
Childrens	Douglas Galbraith, J. Alan Galbraith, James K. Galbraith, Peter W. Galbraith
Universities	University Of California, Berkeley,University Of Toronto University of Toronto University of California Ontario Agricultural College University of Guelph
Notable Alumnis	University Of California Berkeley University Of Toronto
Birth Place	Iona Station
Religion	Calvinist
Gender	Male
Father	Archibald Galbraith
Mother	Sarah Catherine Kendall
Sun Sign	Libra
Born in	Iona Station
Famous as	Economist
Died at Age	97

John Kenneth Galbraith

Canadian

Oct 15, 1908

Biography

Personal Details

Iona Station