Economic essays

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1753623200

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-136107

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Economic essays

Place of publication:: New York

Publisher:: Macmillan

Year of publication:: 1927

Scope:: viii, 368 S.; Ill., graph. Darst.

Digitisation:: 2021

Collection:: Economics Books

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Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: The early teaching of economics in the United States / Edwin R.A. Seligman

Collection:: Economics Books

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.

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