Percy L. Greaves Jr. (August 24, 1906 – August 13, 1984) was an American

free-market In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ot ...

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 ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

, and presidential candidate.

Biography

Greaves was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, on August 24, 1906. He received a B.S. in business administration,

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

, from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in 1929. He then enrolled in graduate courses in economics at

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 ...

and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. Greaves became the financial editor and research economist for the ''

United States News ''U.S. News & World Report'' (USNWR) is an American media company that publishes news, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. It was launched in 1948 as the merger of domestic-focused weekly newspaper ''U.S. News'' and international-focused ...

'' from 1934 to 1936. He resigned to take an executive job in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

; he traveled widely in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

until he returned to the US in 1938. Back in the States, he took a job directing research and survey activities for the

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, wi ...

and did extensive political research. From 1943 to 1945, Greaves was Research Director for the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

. Greaves later served as Chief of Minority Staff for the 1945–1946 "Joint Congressional Investigation of the

Pearl Harbor Attack The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

". He authored several books on economics, includin
''Understanding the Dollar Crisis''
(1973) an
''Mises Made Easier''
(1974). Greaves was a longtime associate and friend of

Ludwig von Mises Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises (; 29 September 1881 – 10 October 1973) was an Austrian School economist, historian, logician, and Sociology, sociologist. Mises wrote and lectured extensively on the societal contributions of classical liberali ...

, regularly attending his seminars. Greaves and his wife attended Mises' graduate seminar at the New York University Graduate School of Business Administration each year from 1950 to 1969. He was also a seminar speaker for the

Foundation for Economic Education The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is an American conservative, libertarian economic think tank. Founded in 1948 in New York City, FEE is now headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a member of the State Policy Network. FEE offers pub ...

. Greaves served on the

Institute for Historical Review The Institute for Historical Review (IHR) is a United States-based nonprofit organization which promotes Holocaust denial. It is considered by many scholars to be central to the international Holocaust denial movement. Self-described as a "hist ...

(IHR) Editorial Advisory Committee and frequently wrote for IHR's ''Journal of Historical Review'', generally about Pearl Harbor revisionism. In the 1974 elections, Greaves was an unsuccessful

US Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

candidate in New York for the Free Libertarian Party.

Murray Rothbard Murray Newton Rothbard (; March 2, 1926 – January 7, 1995) was an American economist of the Austrian School, economic historian, political theorist, and activist. Rothbard was a central figure in the 20th-century American libertarian m ...

had commented the same year that Greaves "believes in taxation, and ... favors the draft." Greaves was nominated as the 1980 presidential candidate for the American Party, with Frank L. Varnum as his running mate. They received 6,648 votes. The state parties of Kansas and Minnesota were unhappy with Greaves's moderate stance on

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

and put anti-Greaves tickets on their ballot lines, winning 1,555 and 6,136 votes respectively. Greaves had also sought the nomination of the

American Independent Party The American Independent Party (AIP) is a far-right political party in the United States that was established in 1967. The AIP is best known for its nomination of former Democratic Governor George Wallace of Alabama, who carried five states in ...

but was defeated. Greaves died due to

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 1984. He was survived by his wife, three children, and seven grandchildren. In 2010, Percy’s wife completed an unfinished manuscript left behind after his death and it was published posthumously by the

Ludwig von Mises Institute Ludwig von Mises Institute for Austrian Economics, or Mises Institute, is a libertarian nonprofit think tank headquartered in Auburn, Alabama, United States. It is named after the Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973). It wa ...

as ''Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy''.

Publications

Articles
"Does Government Spending Bring Prosperity?"
''

The Freeman ''The Freeman'' (formerly published as ''The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty'' or ''Ideas on Liberty'') was an American libertarian magazine, formerly published by the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). It was founded in 1950 by John Chamberl ...

'' (February 1955). Books
''Understanding the Dollar Crisis''.
Belmont, Mass.: Western Islands (1973). Foreword by

. Hazlitt, Henry. Review of ''Understanding the Dollar Crisis'', by Percy L. Greaves, Jr. ''Books for Libertarians'', vol. 3, no. 3 (March 1974), p. 4
Full issue.
/ref>
''Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy''.
Auburn, Ala.:

(2010). Edited by Bettina B. Greaves.
''On the Manipulation of Money and Credit: Three Treatises on Trade-Cycle Theory''.
Indianapolis:

Liberty Fund Liberty Fund, Inc. is an American private educational foundation headquartered in Carmel, founded by Pierre F. Goodrich. Through publishing, conferences, and educational resources, the operating mandate of the Liberty Fund was set forth in an un ...

(2011). Translated, with a foreword, by Bettina Bien Greaves. Book contributions
"The Pearl Harbor Investigations"
(Chapter 7). In
''Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace''
by

Harry Elmer Barnes Harry Elmer Barnes (June 15, 1889 – August 25, 1968) was an American historian who, in his later years, was known for his historical revisionism and Holocaust denial. After receiving a PhD at Columbia University in 1918 Barnes became a pr ...

. Caldwell, Ida.: Caxton Printers (1953). . * "Is Further Intervention a Cure for Prior Intervention?" (Chapter 9). In
''On Freedom and Free Enterprise: Essays in Honor of Ludwig von Mises''.
Edited by Mary Sennholz. New York: D. Van Nostrand (1956), pp. 285–307..

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greaves, Percy L. Jr. 1906 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American historians 20th-century far-right politicians in the United States American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American politicians Economists from New York (state) American Independent Party politicians American Party (1969) politicians Historical negationism New York (state) Libertarians New York (state) Republicans Old Right (United States) People from Brooklyn Candidates in the 1980 United States presidential election 20th-century American economists Syracuse University alumni Historians from New York (state) 20th-century American male writers

Biography

Publications

See also

References