Edwin Francis Gay


Edwin Francis Gay was an American economist, Professor of Economic History and first Dean of the Harvard Business School.

Biography

Born in Detroit as son of a rich businessman, Gay attended schools in the United States and in Switzerland. In 1890 he obtained his A.B. in history and philosophy at the University of Michigan. He returned to Europe to study agriculture, industry, trade and history at universities in Leipzig, Göttingen. Zurich, Berlin and London. In 1892 he married his Michigan classmate Louise Randolph, with whom he shared his research. In 1902 he received his PhD from the University of Berlin under supervision of Gustav Schmoller.
Back in the United States in 1902 Gay was appointed instructor at the Harvard University, replacing William Ashley. In 1903 he was promoted Assistant Professor, and in 1906 Professor in the chair of Economic History at Harvard.
Gay was the first Dean of the Harvard Business School from 1908-1919. The Harvard Business School was founded in 1908 and started the first year with 59 students. In the 1920s there were over 500 students. In 1921 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. From 1929 onwards, he was the representative for America, and de facto co-chairman, of the International scientific committee on price history.
He was president of the New York Evening Post from 1920-1923.

Selected publications

Books, a selection:
Articles, a selection:
About Gray:
To his memory, the Edwin F. Gay-Award for Economic History has been created. One of the award winners has been the historian Richard H. Tilly.

Archives and records