George Stigler
American economist and Nobel Laureate (1911–1991)
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Through World War II
Early life and education
Stigler was born in Seattle, Washington, the son of Hungarian Elsie Elizabeth (Erzsébet Hungler, born in Bakonypéterd, Veszprém county, Kingdom of Hungary) and Bavarian Joseph Stigler. He was of German and Hungarian descent and spoke German in his childhood. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1931 with a B.A. and then spent a year at Northwestern University, from which he obtained his MBA in 1932. It was during his studies at Northwestern that Stigler developed an interest in economics and decided on an academic career.
After he received a tuition scholarship from the University of Chicago, Stigler enrolled there in 1933 to study economics and went on to earn his PhD in economics in 1938.
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Career
Stigler taught at Iowa State College from 1936 to 1938. He spent much of World War II at Columbia University, conducting mathematical and statistical research for the Manhattan Project. He then spent one year at Brown University. He served on the Columbia faculty from 1947 to 1958.
At Chicago, he was greatly influenced by Frank Knight, his dissertation supervisor. Milton Friedman, a friend for over 50 years, commented that it was remarkable that Stigler had passed his dissertation under Knight, as only three or four students had ever managed to do so during Knight's 28 years at Chicago. Stigler's influences included Jacob Viner and Henry Simons, as well as fellow students W. Allen Wallis and Friedman.
In 1977, Stigler founded the Center for the Study of the Economy and the State as a research center of the Chicago Booth School of Business. Upon Stigler's death in 1991, it was renamed the George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State in his honor.
Trivia
- His great uncle Antal Koppány was famous for achieving a draw against chess champion Bobby Fischer who was himself of Hungarian ancestry through his biological father Paul Neményi.