Sir Arnold Plant (29 April 1898 – 19 April 1978) was a British

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

Biography

Plant was born in

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. It was Historic counties of England, historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. Hoxton lies north-east of the City of London, is considered to be a part of London's East End ...

, London, the son of a municipal librarian, William Charles Plant, and Thomasine Emily Plant. After attending

Strand School Strand School was a boys' grammar school in the Tulse Hill area of South London. It moved there in 1913 from its original location at King's College in London's Strand. Distinguished in its heyday for its contribution of young men to the ci ...

, he worked for a mechanical engineering organisation. At the advice of William Piercy, he set out to learn about management. In 1916 he attempted to enlist for military service, but his bad eyesight meant that he was initially unsuccessful. However, with the increasing demand for military manpower, the regulations were relaxed and he was able to enlist as a Private in the 4th Battalion of the Royal West Kent regiment in 1918. He was demobilised in January 1919 and worked as General Manager of the Steam Fittings Company from January 1919 to July 1920. He obtained a

BCom A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects. The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations. Structure Bachelor of Commerce The Bach ...

degree (1922) and a BSc degree in Economics (1923; specialising in modern economic history) from the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. He worked as a professor at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

(1923–1930) and at the London School of Economics (1930–1965). Plant's 1934 paper on

patents A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

, "The Economic Theory Concerning Patents for Inventions", is considered a classic. In 1947, he was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

. He died in 1978. His widow, Edith, Lady Plant, died a decade later.

Published work (selection)

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References

External links

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Arnold Plant Collection
at the

British Library of Political and Economic Science The British Library of Political and Economic Science, commonly referred to as "LSE Library", is the main library of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). It is one of the largest libraries in the world devoted to the eco ...

* * 1898 births 1978 deaths English economists Knights Bachelor People from Hoxton Alumni of the London School of Economics {{UK-economist-stub