304 ECONOMIC ESSAYS IN HONOR OF JOHN BATES CLARK 
1s intended primarily for the student. In 1833 he published a 
smaller Manual of Political Economy. Among his other con- 
tributions was an interesting treatise published, without date, 
in 1829 on The Right of Free Discussion. In this he refers to a 
preceding treatment of the subject in The Tracts of Thomas 
Cooper, Manchester, 1787, without informing us, however, as to 
whether, as is probably the case, he was that identical Thomas 
Cooper. Later on, he supported Biddle in the contest with 
Jackson and wrote in 1833 A Series of Essays on the Present 
United States Bank. He attempted to persuade Biddle to become 
a presidential candidate and subsequently, until his death in 
1840, acted as Biddle’s expert adviser. When Cooper resigned in 
1835, his place was taken by a young German immigrant, Francis 
Lieber, who taught economics, although gradually becoming more 
interested in political science and jurisprudence, in which sub- 
jects he soon attained a commanding influence. Lieber remained 
at South Carolina until 1857, when he accepted a similar chair 
at Columbia College, New York, his place at South Carolina 
being taken by President Longstreet. 
In the preface quoted above there are two statements: first 
“that the proposed professorship was the first one to be created 
in the country,” and second “that the study of political economy 
was at that time found nowhere else.” Both of these statements, 
as will be seen, are incorrect although they were widely accepted. 
In the South, at least, it was the contemporary opinion that 
Cooper was the first regularly appointed professor of political 
economy in the country.® Let us test the accuracy of the state- 
ments by tracing, as far as it is possible to do so, the early 
development in the various institutions of learning. 
If we begin with Harvard it may be stated that, so far as can 
be ascertained, no attention was paid to political economy at 
Cambridge during the eighteenth century. In 1789 it is true 
that the executors of John Alford, who died in 1761, founded the 
Alford Professorship of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, 
and Civil Polity, it being provided that lectures on Civil Polity 
should be read to the senior class only. The fund, however, was 
found to be inadequate to support a professor and was allowed 
to accumulate until 1817. In that year Levi Frisbie was 
appointed Alford Professor and remained until his death in 1822. 
L Cf. The Telescope, Jan. 1, 1830; quoted in Malone, op. cit., p. 303.