Asher Achinstein (December 6, 1900 – September 20, 1998) was an American economist and a member of the

Council of Economic Advisors The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) is a United States agency within the Executive Office of the President established in 1946, which advises the President of the United States on economic policy. The CEA provides much of the empirical resea ...

during the

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

administration.

Biography

Achinstein was born on December 6, 1900 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He was

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. He graduated with a B.A. from the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

and with a M.A. and PhD. from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. He worked for the New York State Board of Housing. In 1951, he accepted a position with the

Legislative Reference Service The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a public policy research institute of the United States Congress. Operating within the Library of Congress, it works primarily and directly for members of Congress and their committees and staff on a c ...

of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

conducting economic research for the members of Congress; he remained in the position until 1970. In 1954, he was appointed to the

Council of Economic Advisers The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) is a United States agency within the Executive Office of the President established in 1946, which advises the President of the United States on economic policy. The CEA provides much of the empirical resea ...

by President

. In 1950, Achinstein published ''Introduction to Business Cycles''.

Personal life

In the 1930s, he married Betty Comras (died 1964); they had one son, philosopher Peter J. Achinstein. In 1965, he married Martha Levitsky. He died on September 20, 1998 in Cross Keys.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Achinstein, Asher 1900 births 1998 deaths United States Council of Economic Advisers Jewish American economists City College of New York alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni 20th-century American Jews