Edward Sagendorph Mason (February 22, 1899 – February 29, 1992) was an American

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 ...

and professor 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 ...

. He was the Dean of the Graduate School of Public Administration, now known as the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

, from 1947 to 1958. He was the president 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 1962.

Early life

Edward Sagendorph Mason was born on February 22, 1899, in

Clinton, Iowa Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. It borders the Mississippi River. The population was 24,469 as of 2020 United States census, 2020. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa, DeWitt (also located in Clinto ...

. His younger brother was Warren P. Mason, who became an electrical engineer and physicist. He graduated from 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 ...

in 1919. He entered Harvard University, where he was a

Rhodes scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Esta ...

at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

during his master's degree. He earned a PhD in economics from Harvard University in 1925. His thesis supervisor was

Frank William Taussig Frank William Taussig (December 28, 1859 – November 11, 1940) was an American economist who is credited with creating the foundations of modern international trade, trade theory. Early life He was born on December 28, 1859, in St. Louis, Misso ...

Career

Mason taught a course on the history of socialism in the Department of Economics at his alma mater, Harvard University, in the 1920s and 1930s. He was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

in 1933. He became a tenured professor in 1936. In 1954, he was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. He was the dean of the Graduate School of Public Administration, now known as the

, from 1947 to 1958. He was the founder of the Development Advisory Service, now known as the

Harvard Institute for International Development The Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) was a think-tank dedicated to helping nations join the global economy, operating between 1974 and 2000. It was a center within Harvard University, United States. Foundation and leadership ...

, in 1963. Mason worked for the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was an early economist at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

and the

Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred $13.3 billion (equivalent to $ in ) in economic recovery pr ...

. He was also a consultant to the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

. Mason was the president of the American Economic Association in 1962. He became known for his work in

industrial organization In economics, industrial organization is a field that builds on the theory of the firm by examining the structure of (and, therefore, the boundaries between) firms and markets. Industrial organization adds real-world complications to the per ...

, an area in which provided direct inspiration to Joe Bain for his SCP model, and in development economics.Gustav F. Papanek (2008) Mason, Edward Sagendorph (1899–1992) in ''The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics'', Second Edition, Edited by Steven N. Durlauf and Lawrence E. Blume

Personal life and death

Mason married Marguerite Sisson La Monte on April 4, 1930. They had two sons and a daughter. Mason died on February 29, 1992, in Santa Barbara, California.

Selected works

* Mason, E. (1926) The doctrine of comparative cost. ''Quarterly Journal of Economics'' 41, November 63–93. *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Edward Sagendorph 1899 births 1992 deaths University of Kansas alumni Harvard University alumni Harvard University faculty 20th-century American economists Presidents of the American Economic Association Members of the American Philosophical Society