Brinley Thomas, CBE, FBA (6 January 1906 – 31 August 1994) was a Welsh economist. He was Professor of Economics and Social Sciences at University College, Cardiff, from 1946 to 1973.

Early life and education

Thomas was born on 6 January 1906 in

Pontrhydyfen Pontrhydyfen (or Pont-rhyd-y-fen) is a small village in the Afan Valley, in Neath Port Talbot county borough in Wales (). The village sits at the confluence of the River Afan and the smaller Afon Pelenna, 1.8 miles (2.9 km) north of the l ...

, where his father was the deputy

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of a mine. He secured scholarships to Port Talbot Grammar School and the University College of Wales at Aberystwyth, graduating from the latter in 1926 with a first-class degree in economics. In 1928, he completed a master's degree there. In the meantime, he was forced to take teaching work in

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

to support his family financially. He was awarded a fellowship by the University of Wales and completed a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

at the London School of Economics (LSE) in 1931."Professor Brinley Thomas", '' The Times'' (London), 10 September 1994, p. 19.

Career

Thomas was appointed to a

lectureship Lecturer is an academic rank Academic rank (also scientific rank) is the rank of a scientist or teacher in a college, high school, university or research establishment. The academic ranks indicate relative importance and power of individuals ...

at the LSE the year he received his PhD. He received a travelling scholarship (1932–34) allowing him to study in Germany and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, where he was introduced to the Swedish School of economic thought; on his return, Thomas introduced Knut Wicksell and Gustav Cassel's work to Anglophone audiences.

Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor, who was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibl ...

"Obituary: Professor Brinley Thomas"
'' The Independent'', 7 September 1994. Retrieved 14 April 2021. His book, ''Monetary Policy and Crises: A Study of Swedish Experience'' was published in 1936. He left LSE in 1939 and served in the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

during the Second World War. After hostilities ended, Thomas taught at the LSE for a brief period before he was appointed the Professor of Economics and Social Sciences at University College, Cardiff, in 1946. There, he turned his attention to migration. He wrote ''Migration and Economic Growth: A Study of Great Britain and the Atlantic Economy'' (1954). He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire the next year (OBE). In 1972, he wrote ''Migration and Urban Development: A Reappraisal of British and American Long Cycles''. He retired from his chair in 1973, the same year he was promoted to CBE and elected a

fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

. He had also served as chairman of the Welsh Council from 1968 to 1971. His final book was ''The Industrial Revolution and the Atlantic Economy: Selected Essays'' (1993). He died on 31 August 1994; he was survived by his wife Cynthia and their daughter.

Early life and education

Career

References

Further reading