David S. Landes (1924–2013)

David Landes received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1953. He taught economics at Columbia University (1952-58) and economics and history at the University of California, Berkeley (1958-64) before returning to Harvard as a professor of history in 1964. He has taught at Harvard ever since as professor of history (1964-72), Roy B. Williams Professor of History and Politics (1972-75), Robert Walton Gallet Professor of French History (1975-81) and Coolidge Professor of History (1981-1997), Emeritus (1997-). Early on, Dr. Landes established his reputation through studies on nineteenth century French and German banking, the best known of which was a study of French investment in Egypt. He is the author of numerous books, including The Unbound Prometheus: Technological Change and Industrial Development in Western Europe, 1750 to the Present (1969), The Wealth and Poverty of Nations (1998), Revolution in Time (2000), and Fortunes and Misfortunes of the World's Great Family Businesses (2006). In addition to his distinguished career at Harvard, Dr. Landes also presided over the Economic History Association and chaired the Council on Research in Economic History. He was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1982. David Landes died August 17, 2013, at the age of 89 in Haverford, Pennsylvania.