Lloyd Appleton Metzler (3 April 1913 – 26 October 1980) was an American economist best known for his contributions to
international trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.)
In most countries, such trade represents a significan ...
theory. He was born in
Lost Springs,
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
in 1913. Although most of his career was spent at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
, he was not a member of the
Chicago school, but rather a
Keynesian
Keynesian economics ( ; sometimes Keynesianism, named after British economist John Maynard Keynes) are the various macroeconomic theories and models of how aggregate demand (total spending in the economy) strongly influences economic output an ...
.
Lloyd was the youngest of three sons of Leroy and Lulu Appleton Metzler, who were both schoolteachers and both had college degrees. All three of the boys attended the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...
at
Lawrence
Lawrence may refer to:
Education Colleges and universities
* Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States
* Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
Preparator ...
. Leroy was a civil engineer, and Donald became the head of the engineering department and served as mayor of Lawrence. Lloyd was heading for a degree and career in business until he fell under the tutelage of
John Ise, who convinced him to switch to economics, and who was a lifelong hero.
After graduation, Metzler received his PhD in economics at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, where he became great friends with
Paul Samuelson
Paul Anthony Samuelson (May 15, 1915 – December 13, 2009) was an American economist who was the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. When awarding the prize in 1970, the Swedish Royal Academies stated that he "h ...
.
Metzler worked post-World War II with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in Washington DC, and spent much of that time working on post-war reconstruction in Europe.
Metzler was awarded a
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...
in 1942 upon completing his PhD at
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
. He was made a Distinguished Fellow of the
American Economic Association
The American Economic Association (AEA) is a learned society in the field of economics, with approximately 23,000 members. It publishes several peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Review, an ...
in 1968.
In the early 1950s Metzler's career was severely impacted by the discovery of a brain tumor, and several surgeries. He continued to teach for another 20 years at the University of Chicago.
The
Metzler paradox as well as
Metzler matrices bear his name.
Notable students
* Arnold C. Harberger - Chief Economic Advisor, USAID; former president of the American Economic Association
Influences
*
Alice Bourneuf
Alice Elizabeth Bourneuf (1912–1980) was an American economist and educator. She is known for her knowledge of international monetary policy and her contributions to the organization of the Marshall Plan.
Biography
Bourneuf was born on Octobe ...
*
Evsey Domar
Evsey David Domar (, ''Domashevitsky''; April 16, 1914 – April 1, 1997) was a Russian-American economist, famous as developer of the Harrod–Domar model.
Life
Evsey Domar was born on April 16, 1914, in the Polish city of Łódź, which was ...
*
Paul Samuelson
Paul Anthony Samuelson (May 15, 1915 – December 13, 2009) was an American economist who was the first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. When awarding the prize in 1970, the Swedish Royal Academies stated that he "h ...
References
*
* George Horwich and John Pomery, 2008. "Metzler, Lloyd Appleton (1913–1980)," ''
The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics
''The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics'' (2018), 3rd ed., is a twenty-volume reference work on economics published by Palgrave Macmillan. It contains around 3,000 entries, including many classic essays from the original Inglis Palgrave Dictio ...
Online'', 2nd Ed. Macmillan
Cross references.Accessed 7 May 2009.
* Lloyd A. Metzler, 1973. ''Collected Papers'', Harvard University Press.
Descriptionand chapter-previews vi
scroll down.
External Sources
Guide to the Lloyd A. Metzler Papers 1941-1948at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metzler, Lloyd
1913 births
1980 deaths
People from Marion County, Kansas
University of Chicago faculty
University of Kansas alumni
Harvard University alumni
Keynesians
Fellows of the Econometric Society
20th-century American economists
Distinguished fellows of the American Economic Association
Economists from Kansas