Thomas Prentice Kettell (born 1811, died October 22, 1878''Daily Alta California'', October 23, 1878) was a 19th-century American political economist, magazine editor, and author. He was a well-known economic commentator from the 1840s through the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Kettell wrote for the ''New York Herald'' starting in 1835 as a financial columnist. He also wrote for ''Hunt's Magazine'' and later edited ''The United States Magazine and Democratic Review''. He founded ''United States Economist'' in 1852. The magazine later expanded its title to ''United States Economist, Dry Good Reporter, and Bank, Railroad and Commercial Chronicle''. He had some success in styling his magazines as American competitors to the British publication ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

''. In 1856 Kettell authored ''Southern Wealth and Northern Profits'', a lengthy statistical

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a hard cover or binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' or it may consist of a ...

about the economies of the Northern and Southern regions. The book received wide acclaim among

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

ists in the South and much derision from anti-

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

politicians in the North, even though Kettell intended it as an argument that the two regions were economically dependent upon each other. In 1866 Kettell authored one of the earliest histories of the recent

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, entitled ''A History of the Great Rebellion'

Not much is known of his life after the war. He relocated to San Francisco in the late 1860s and died there in 1878.

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References

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kettell, Thomas 1811 births 1878 deaths American magazine editors American economists People of New York (state) in the American Civil War