Famous American Economists

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Do you know Adam Smith? The guy who appears on the back of £20 note. That is right! He is the mastermind behind concepts of free trade, market competition and the morality of private enterprise and his famous book of economics titled “Wealth of Nations” is the cornerstone of all modern day economic policies? Such is the clout of an economist over a nation, its people and its financial system. Calvin Coolidge has rightly said, "Economy is the method by which we prepare today to afford the improvements of tomorrow." Since time immemorial, economists have been providing people with invaluable insights on economic policies, banking, and money at large. They have been the guiding force behind a country’s economic growth and progress. They are the reasons why a layman understands how a foreign and domestic market operates. They help taxpayers make reasoned and rational choices for short-term and long-term financial benefits. Above all, the economists teach us how to manage and use finite resources like time and money. Today we explore the timeline, trivia, and interesting facts on some of America’s most renowned economists in the biographies below.
Vote for Your Favourite American Economists
 1 
Thomas Sowell
(Economist)
Thomas Sowell
11
Birthdate: June 30, 1930
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Gastonia, North Carolina

One of the few personalities known for his disdain of self-promotion, Thomas Sowell is an important American social theorist and economist. Over the years, he has played a prominent role working as a faculty member of many prestigious universities, such as the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Cornell University

 2 
Milton Friedman
(American Economist & Nobel Prize Winner in Economic Sciences Who Extolled the Virtues of a Free Market Economic System)
Milton Friedman
9
Birthdate: July 31, 1912
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
Died: November 16, 2006

Milton Friedman was an American economist. Widely regarded as one of the most influential economists of the 20th century, Friedman was honored with the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1976. One of the most influential personalities of the Chicago school of economics, Friedman mentored people like Gary Becker and Thomas Sowell who went on to become leading economists.

 3 
Daniel Kahneman
(Winner of 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics for His Work on the Psychology of Judgment and Decision-Making)
Daniel Kahneman
6
Birthdate: March 5, 1934
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

Daniel Kahneman is an Israeli economist and psychologist. He was honored with the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work on behavioral economics. In 2011, Kahneman was named among the top global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine. In 2015, Daniel Kahneman was ranked seventh in the most influential economist in the world list published by The Economist.

 4 
Jeffrey Sachs
(Economist)
Jeffrey Sachs
7
Birthdate: November 5, 1954
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, United States
 5 
Peter Navarro
(Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy (2017 - 2021))
Peter Navarro
9
Birthdate: July 15, 1949
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Economist and writer Peter Navarro has served as the Director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy and the Director of the National Trade Council under former president Donald Trump. He has also authored books such as Death by China and taught at the University of California.
 6 
Ben Bernanke
(American Economist and 14th Chair of the Federal Reserve (2006-2014))
Ben Bernanke
7
Birthdate: December 13, 1953
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Augusta, Georgia, United States

Ben Bernanke is an American economist who served two terms as the chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from 2006 to 2014, during which he supervised the Federal Reserve's response to the global financial crisis (GFC). For his efforts during GFC, Ben Bernanke was named Time Person of the Year in 2009.

 7 
Paul Samuelson
(Economist)
Paul Samuelson
3
Birthdate: May 15, 1915
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Gary, Indiana, United States
Died: December 13, 2009
 8 
Eric Weinstein
(Mathematician)
Eric Weinstein
6
Birthdate: October 26, 1965
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States

Apart from being the MD of Thiel Capital, mathematician and economist Eric Weinstein is also a researcher at Oxford. The Harvard alumnus had quit academia for 20 years before he returned again. He coined the term “intellectual dark web” and works on topics such as gauge theory, risk management, and immigration.

 9 
Robert Reich
(22nd United States Secretary of Labor (1993 - 1997))
Robert Reich
10
Birthdate: June 24, 1946
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States

Economist and University of California, Berkeley professor Robert Reich has also been the U.S. secretary of labor. His rare bone disorder made him a victim of bullies in childhood, but he later won the Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. His bestselling book Saving Capitalism was made into a Netflix documentary.

 10 
Abhijit Banerjee
(Indian-born American Economist, Professor and 2019 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences)
Abhijit Banerjee
4
Birthdate: February 21, 1961
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Born to economics professor parents, Abhijit Banerjee grew up in India before he moved to the U.S. to study at Harvard. He later taught at Harvard and Princeton and is now associated with MIT. His studies on the ways of reducing world poverty won him a Nobel Prize.

 11 
Joseph E. Stiglitz
(Economist & Author)
Joseph E. Stiglitz
4
Birthdate: February 9, 1943
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Gary

Nobel laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz is best known for his work on the theory of markets with asymmetric information. The MIT alumnus has taught at prestigious institutes such as Harvard and Stanford and currently teaches at Columbia University, He has been an economic advisor to the U.S. government, too.

 12 
Richard Thaler
(Nobel Prize Winner in Economics (2017))
Richard Thaler
5
Birthdate: September 12, 1945
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: East Orange, New Jersey, United States
 13 
Elinor Ostrom
(Economist, Political scientist, University teacher)
Elinor Ostrom
4
Birthdate: August 7, 1933
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Los Angeles
Died: June 12, 2012
 14 
Gary Becker
(Economist)
Gary Becker
4
Birthdate: December 2, 1930
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Pottsville, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: May 3, 2014
 15 
Lawrence Kudlow
(Director of the National Economic Council)
Lawrence Kudlow
7
Birthdate: August 20, 1947
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Englewood, New Jersey

Lawrence Kudlow began his career as staff economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and then served as financial analyst at Wall Street, before joining the Ronald Reagan administration. Later he became an economic media commentator with National Review, and hosted several shows on CNBC. During the Trump administration, he served as Director of the National Economic Council.

 16 
Kenneth Arrow
(Eonomist)
Kenneth Arrow
3
Birthdate: August 23, 1921
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Died: February 21, 2017
 17 
Paul Volcker
(Former Chair of the Federal Reserve)
Paul Volcker
5
Birthdate: September 5, 1927
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Cape May, New Jersey, United States
Died: December 8, 2019
 18 
George P. Shultz
(Economist)
George P. Shultz
6
Birthdate: December 13, 1920
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
 19 
Scott Adams
(Comics artist, Economist, Journalist)
Scott Adams
7
Birthdate: June 8, 1957
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Windham (town), New York

Best known for his iconic comic strip Dilbert, Scott Adams has an MBA degree and has worked in banks and tech firms earlier. The character Dilbert first appeared in Adams’s office presentations and was inspired by his co-workers. His social-media video series, Coffee with Scott Adams, too, was quite popular.

 20 
Michael Porter
(Economist, Researcher, Author, Advisor, Speaker and Teacher)
Michael Porter
4
Birthdate: May 23, 1947
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Ann Arbor
 21 
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
(Nigerian-American Economist Who Has Served in Several Ministerial Positions in Nigeria)
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
6
Birthdate: June 13, 1954
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Ogwashi Ukwu, Nigeria
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a Nigerian-American economist and political figure. She served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2006 before serving as the Coordinating Minister for the Economy of Nigeria from 17 August 2011 to 29 May 2015. Ngozi also served as the Minister of Finance on two separate occasions; from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2015.
 22 
Lawrence Summers
(71st United States Secretary of the Treasury(1999 - 2001))
Lawrence Summers
7
Birthdate: November 30, 1954
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut, United States

Apart from being the president of Harvard, Lawrence Summers has also been the U.S. secretary of the treasury, the World Bank’s chief economist, and the NEC director. The MIT alumnus became one of the youngest tenured faculty members at Harvard. He also writes regularly for The Washington Post.

 23 
Robert J. Shiller
(Economist, Writer, Educationist, University teacher)
Robert J. Shiller
4
Birthdate: March 29, 1946
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Detroit
 24 
Paul Krugman
(Columnist, Economist, Essayist, Blogger, University teacher, Actor, Pundit, Journalist, Writer)
Paul Krugman
9
Birthdate: February 28, 1953
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Albany

Economist Paul Krugman, who has taught at Yale, MIT, and Princeton, later won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, primarily for his work on the new trade theory and economic geography. He has also gained popularity for his op-ed column in The New York Times.

 25 
John Kenneth Galbraith
(Famous for His Trilogy on Economics 'American Capitalism', 'The Affluent Society' and 'The New Industrial State')
John Kenneth Galbraith
5
Birthdate: October 15, 1908
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Iona Station, Canada
Died: April 29, 2006

John Kenneth Galbraith was an intellectual, diplomat, economist, and public official. One of the most influential exponents of 20th-century American liberalism, Galbraith published many books concerning the American economy. Galbraith is one of the few individuals to be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Medal of Freedom. He also received 50 honorary degrees from various institutions.

 26 
Benjamin Graham
(Economist, Investor)
Benjamin Graham
7
Birthdate: May 8, 1894
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: London, England
Died: September 21, 1976
 27 
Esther Duflo
(American-French Economist)
Esther Duflo
5
Birthdate: October 25, 1972
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Paris, France

Esther Duflo is a French–American economist. She is credited with co-founding the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, a global research center that works towards reducing poverty worldwide. In 2019, she shared the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Michael Kremer and Abhijit Banerjee for their efforts to reduce poverty.

 28 
Henry George
(Economist, Politician, Writer)
Henry George
4
Birthdate: September 2, 1839
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Philadelphia
Died: October 29, 1897

Henry George was a political economist and journalist. His work was very popular during the Progressive Era and sparked many reform movements. The economic philosophy known as Georgism is inspired by him. His book Progress and Poverty, considered his magnum opus, sold millions of copies worldwide. He was a vocal advocate for women's political rights. 

 29 
Arthur Laffer
(Economist)
Arthur Laffer
9
Birthdate: August 14, 1940
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Youngstown, Ohio, United States

Yale and Stanford alumnus Arthur Laffer is now one of the greatest economists of the U.S. Best known for his Laffer curve and his theory of taxes that explained how low tax rates could eventually provide higher revenues, he has been crucial to the American tax system.

 30 
Robert Solow
(Economist)
Robert Solow
3
Birthdate: August 23, 1924
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States
 31 
James M. Buchanan
(Economist, University teacher)
James M. Buchanan
4
Birthdate: October 3, 1919
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Murfreesboro
Died: January 9, 2013
 32 
Hyman Minsky
(Economist)
Hyman Minsky
3
Birthdate: September 23, 1919
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chicago
Died: October 24, 1996
 33 
Irving Fisher
(Economist, Statistician)
Irving Fisher
3
Birthdate: February 27, 1867
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Saugerties
Died: April 29, 1947
 34 
Murray Rothbard
(Economist)
Murray Rothbard
6
Birthdate: March 2, 1926
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Bronx, New York, United States
Died: January 7, 1995
 35 
Janet Yellen
(First Woman to Hold the Post of the United States Secretary of the Treasury)
Janet Yellen
8
Birthdate: August 13, 1946
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, United States

Economist Janet Yellen has had an illustrious career as an academic and researcher, and has taught at Harvard University and other reputed institutes. After chairing the Federal Reserve for 4 years, she is now the United States Secretary of the Treasury. She is married to Nobel-winning economist George Akerlof.

 36 
Mohamed A. El-Erian
(Egyptian-American Economist and Former CEO of 'PIMCO')
Mohamed A. El-Erian
3
Birthdate: August 19, 1958
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Born to Egyptian parents in New York, Mohamed A. El-Erian grew up in the U.S., Egypt, and France, with his diplomat father. Educated at Cambridge and Oxford, he later served as the CEO of PIMCO. Apart from being a Bloomberg columnist, he has also written bestsellers such as When Markets Collide.

 37 
Alan Krueger
(Economist)
Alan Krueger
3
Birthdate: September 17, 1960
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Livingston, New Jersey, United States
Died: March 16, 2019
 38 
Thorstein Veblen
(Economist)
Thorstein Veblen
3
Birthdate: July 30, 1857
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Cato, Wisconsin, United States
Died: August 3, 1929
 39 
David D. Friedman
(Economist, Physicist, Blogger, Writer, University teacher)
David D. Friedman
4
Birthdate: February 12, 1945
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New York City

Eminent scholar David D. Friedman has excelled in a wide range of academic areas, including economics, physics, law, and business. The Harvard alumnus is best known for his anarcho-capitalist theories and the book The Machinery of Freedom but has penned countless other books, too, including two science-fiction fantasy novels.

 40 
Phil Gramm
(Economist)
Phil Gramm
3
Birthdate: July 8, 1942
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Fort Benning, Georgia, United States U.S.
 41 
Harry Markowitz
(Economist)
Harry Markowitz
3
Birthdate: August 24, 1927
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
 42 
Dan Ariely
(One of the Most Influential Professors of Psychology and Behavioral Economics)
Dan Ariely
4
Birthdate: April 29, 1967
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States

Dan Ariely is an Israeli-American professor and author. He is the founder of the research institution, The Center for Advanced Hindsight, and the co-founder of several companies. Currently, he is also the James B. Duke Professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. He is the author of the three New York Times bestsellers as well. 

 43 
Nouriel Roubini
(Economist, Art collector, University teacher)
Nouriel Roubini
3
Birthdate: March 29, 1958
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Istanbul
 44 
Tyler Cowen
(Economist, Educationist, Writer, Blogger, University teacher)
Tyler Cowen
4
Birthdate: January 21, 1962
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bergen County
 45 
Douglass North
(Economist)
Douglass North
3
Birthdate: November 5, 1920
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Died: November 23, 2015
 46 
Harry Dexter White
3
Birthdate: October 29, 1892
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Died: August 16, 1948
 47 
Immanuel Wallerstein
(Economist, Geopolitician, Economic historian, Historian, Political scientist, Writer, Sociologist, University teacher)
Immanuel Wallerstein
3
Birthdate: September 28, 1930
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New York City

Sociologist, author, and economic historian Immanuel Wallerstein is best remembered for his iconic work The Modern World System, which was the first volume of his world-system theory. He was a Yale researcher and had first been driven to understand world history when he read up about the anticolonial movement in India.

 48 
Paul Wolfowitz
(10th President of the World Bank Group (2005 - 2007))
Paul Wolfowitz
4
Birthdate: December 22, 1943
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
Initially a Democrat, American politician Paul Wolfowitz later turned into a Republican. His illustrious career has seen him serve as the president of the World Bank and as the US Deputy Secretary of Defense. He was also one of the major forces behind the Iraq War. 
 49 
Greg Mankiw
(Economist, Blogger)
Greg Mankiw
3
Birthdate: February 3, 1958
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Trenton
 50 
Stanley Fischer
(Economist, Educationist, Writer, Professor, Banker)
Stanley Fischer
3
Birthdate: October 15, 1943
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mazabuka

Stanley Fischer is an Israeli American economist. He was previously the chief economist at the World Bank and the vice-chairman of the Federal Reserve. In 2014, he was nominated by US President Barack Obama to be the vice-chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board of Governors. He is a member of the Inter-American Dialogue as well.