Benjamin A. Rogge (June 18, 1920 – November 17, 1980) was an American

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the 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 field there are ...

, college administrator, and

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

writer, speaker and foundation advisor. Rogge received an A.B. degree from

Hastings College Hastings College is a private Presbyterian college in Hastings, Nebraska. History The college was founded in 1882 by a group of men and women seeking to establish a Presbyterian college dedicated to high academic and cultural standards. ...

and an M.A. from the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Univer ...

. Rogge received his PhD in economics from Northwestern. At Wabash College, Rogge taught in the summer Institute for Professional Development, in addition to his usual teaching in economics. Rogge co-authored an economics principles textbook with John Van Sickle. One strength of the text is the account that it gives of

Joseph Schumpeter Joseph Alois Schumpeter (; February 8, 1883 – January 8, 1950) was an Austrian-born political economist. He served briefly as Finance Minister of German-Austria in 1919. In 1932, he emigrated to the United States to become a professor at H ...

's process of creative destruction. Rogge helped organize a series of lectures by

Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (; July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the ...

at Wabash that were eventually developed into Friedman's ''

Capitalism and Freedom ''Capitalism and Freedom'' is a book by Milton Friedman originally published in 1962 by the University of Chicago Press which discusses the role of economic capitalism in liberal society. It has sold more than half a million copies since 1962 an ...

'' book. Much later, Rogge participated in a brainstorming session for Friedman's Free to Choose television series.

Liberty Fund Liberty Fund, Inc. is an American private educational foundation headquartered in Carmel, founded by Pierre F. Goodrich. Through publishing, conferences, and educational resources, the operating mandate of the Liberty Fund was set forth in an un ...

was founded with money from

Pierre Goodrich Pierre F. Goodrich (1894–1973) was an American businessman and conservative philanthropist.Morgan N. KnullGoodrich, Pierre, '' First Principles'', 09/23/11Evan Sparks '' Philanthropy (magazine), Philanthropy'', Summer 2010Robert T. Grimm (ed.), ...

, who sought advice from Rogge during the Fund's early years. Rogge served for many years as a Liberty Fund trustee.

Thomas Sowell Thomas Sowell (; born June 30, 1930) is an American author, economist, political commentator and academic who is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. With widely published commentary and books—and as a guest on TV and radio—he bec ...

gives Rogge credit for encouraging him to write a book on economics and race. Rogge also was a frequent presenter at the seminars of the

Foundation for Economic Education The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is an American conservative, libertarian economic think tank. Founded in 1948 in New York City, FEE is now headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a member of the State Policy Network. FEE offers pub ...

(FEE). FEE's founder,

Leonard Read Leonard Edward Read (September 26, 1898 – May 14, 1983) was the founder of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE), one of the first free market think tanks in the United States. He wrote 29 books and numerous essays, including the well-k ...

, thought of Rogge as Read's eventual successor, an outcome prevented by Read outliving Rogge. An extended (but somewhat grainy) illustrates the dry wit that made him a popular speaker. Rogge attended 13 meetings of the influential international

Mont Pelerin Society The Mont Pelerin Society (MPS) is an international organization composed of economists, philosophers, historians, intellectuals and business leaders. Michael Novak, 'The Moral Imperative of a Free Economy', in '' The 4% Solution: Unleashing the ...

. Rogge helped produce, and narrated, a documentary on Adam Smith that was funded by Liberty Fund. Rogge wrote the introduction to a collection of quotations from Adam Smith. A collection of Rogge's speeches, often on topics in economics or education, was published under the title ''Can Capitalism Survive?''

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts c ...

, where he taught for many years, established
speaker series
in his honor
Rogge's archives
are mainly housed at the

Hoover Institute The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace; abbreviated as Hoover) is an American public policy think tank and research institution that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, and ...

on the campus of Stanford University. A posthumous collection of Rogge's speeches and essays has appeared under the title ''A Maverick's Defense of Freedom''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogge, Benjamin A. American libertarians Wabash College faculty 1920 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American economists Hastings College alumni University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni