Edwin Francis Gay (October 27, 1867 – February 8, 1946) was an American

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

, Professor of Economic History and first Dean of the

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

.Morgen Witzel (2004) "Edwin Gay (1867-1946)" in: ''Fifty key figures in management''. Routledge. p. 136-141

Biography

Born in Detroit, as the son of a rich businessman, Gay attended schools in the United States and in Switzerland. In 1890, he obtained his A.B. in history and philosophy at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. He returned to Europe to study agriculture, industry, trade and history at universities in Leipzig, Göttingen. Zurich, Berlin and London. In 1892, he married his Michigan classmate Louise Randolph, with whom he shared his research. In 1902, he received his PhD from the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

under supervision of

Gustav Schmoller Gustav Friedrich (after 1908: von) Schmoller (; 24 June 1838 – 27 June 1917) was the leader of the "younger" German historical school of economics. He was a leading '' Sozialpolitiker'' (more derisively, '' Kathedersozialist'', "Socialist of t ...

. Back in the United States, in 1902, Gay was appointed instructor at the

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, replacing William Ashley. In 1903 he was promoted Assistant Professor, and in 1906 Professor in the chair of Economic History at Harvard. Gay was the first Dean of the

from 1908-1919. The Harvard Business School was founded in 1908 and started the first year with 59 students. In the 1920s, there were over 500 students. He was a founding member of the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

, and served as its first elected secretary and treasurer, 1921 – 1933, then as vice-president, until 1944, succeeding co-founder

Paul D. Cravath Paul Drennan Cravath (July 14, 1861 – July 1, 1940) was a prominent Manhattan lawyer and a Equity partner, partner of the New York law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He devised the Cravath System, was a leader in the Atlanticism, Atlantist mov ...

. In 1921 he was elected as a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

American Statistical Association The American Statistical Association (ASA) is the main professional organization for statisticians and related professionals in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second oldest continuousl ...

. From 1929 onwards, he was the representative for America, and de facto co-chairman, of the

International Scientific Committee on Price History The International scientific committee on price history was created in 1929 by William Beveridge and Edwin Francis Gay thanks to a five-years grant of the Rockefeller Foundation. The national representatives were William Beveridge for Great Britain, ...

. He was president of the ''

New York Evening Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established i ...

'' from 1920-1923.

Selected publications

Books, a selection: * Burritt, A. W., Dennison, H. S., Gay, E. F., Heilman, R. E., & Kendall, H. P. (1918). ''Profit Sharing, Its Principles and Practice: A Collaboration''. Harper & Brothers. * Gay, Edwin Francis. ''The rhythm of history''. 1923. * Gay, Edwin Francis, et al. ''Facts and factors in economic history: articles by former students of Edwin Francis Gay''. Harvard University Press, 1932. * Hamilton, Alexander, Arthur H. Cole, and Edwin Francis Gay. ''Industrial and Commercial Correspondence of Alexander Hamilton: Anticipating His Report on Manufactures''. Augustus M. Kelley, 1968. Articles, a selection: * Gay, Edwin Francis. "The Inquisitions of Depopulation in 1517 and the'Domesday of Inclosures'." ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'' 14.1 (1900): 231-303. About Gray: * Heaton, Herbert. ''A scholar in action, Edwin F. Gay''. Greenwood Press, 1968.

Honors

To his memory, the ''Edwin F. Gay''-Award for Economic History has been created. One of the award winners has been the historian

Richard H. Tilly Richard Hugh Tilly (born 17 October 1932) is an American economic historian. Born to a family of German descent in Chicago, Richard Tilly studied history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. From 1955 to 1957, he completed his military servi ...

Archives and records

Dean's Office Correspondence Files (Edwin F. Gay, Dean)
at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gay, Edwin Francis 1867 births 1946 deaths American newspaper publishers (people) American business theorists Writers from Detroit University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni Harvard Business School faculty Fellows of the American Statistical Association Presidents of the American Economic Association Business school deans Economists from Michigan