Hector Menteith Robertson (1905–1984) was an economic historian who held the positions of Jagger Professor of Economics at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

and president of the

Economic Society of South Africa Economic Society of South Africa (ESSA), established in 1925 is a "discussion forum" for South African economists in academic life, government and business. It is currently chaired by Prof. Heinrich Bohlmann for the 2021-2023 term. The Society h ...

(1951–52). He was also an editor and frequent contributor to the ''

South African Journal of Economics ''South African Journal of Economics'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed economics journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Economic Society of South Africa (ESSA). The journal was established in 1933. The journal publishes information on ...

''.

Life

Robertson was born in Leeds to Scottish parents. He studied at

Leeds University , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, graduating B.A. in 1925 and M.A. in 1926, and at

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mon ...

.J. de V. Graaff, "Obituary: H.M. Robertson", ''

'', 52:3 (Sept. 1984), pp. 310-315. At Cambridge he was invited to the weekly

Political Economy Club The Political Economy Club is the world's oldest economics association founded by James Mill and a circle of friends in 1821 in London, for the purpose of coming to an agreement on the fundamental principles of political economy. David Ricardo, ...

set up by

John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in ...

. His thesis, a critical response to

R. H. Tawney Richard Henry Tawney (30 November 1880 – 16 January 1962) was an English economic historian, social critic, ethical socialist,Noel W. Thompson. ''Political economy and the Labour Party: the economics of democratic socialism, 1884-2005''. 2nd e ...

's ''Religion and the Rise of Capitalism'' (1926) and

Max Weber Maximilian Karl Emil Weber (; ; 21 April 186414 June 1920) was a German sociologist, historian, jurist and political economist, who is regarded as among the most important theorists of the development of modern Western society. His ideas profo ...

's '' The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism'' (1930; German edition 1905), was published in 1933 as ''Aspects of the Rise of Economic Individualism''. In 1930 Robertson became senior lecturer in Cape Town, where he remained for the rest of his career. Much of his research focused on the history of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

, particularly in southern Africa. His retirement was marked by a ''

Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

'' edited by Marcelle Kooy, ''Studies in Economics and Economic History: Essays in Honour of Professor H.M. Robertson'' (Duke University Press, 1972).

Works

Books

* ''Aspects of the Rise of Economic Individualism'' (Cambridge University Press, 1933) * ''South Africa: Economic and Political Aspects'' (Duke University Press, 1957)

Articles

* "Economic Historians and their Colleagues", ''SAJE'', 1946 * "European Economic Developments in the 16th Century", ''SAJE'', March 1950 * "The Politico-Economic Background of Jan Van Riebeeck's Settlement", ''SAJE'', Sept. 1952 * "The Ricardo Problem", ''SAJE'', Sept. 1957

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Hector Menteith 1905 births 1984 deaths Academic staff of the University of Cape Town Alumni of the University of Leeds Economic historians Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge