Willard Long Thorp (May 24, 1899 May 10, 1992) was an American economist and academic. [2] He served three US Presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower as an advisor in both domestic and foreign affairs. He helped draft the Marshall Plan and was also prominent in business and education.[3]

Quick Facts 1st Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, President ...
Willard Thorp
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Thorp testifies at public hearings of the Joint Congressional Executive Monopoly Committee (December 2, 1938)
1st Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs
In office
1946–1952
PresidentHarry S. Truman
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byHarold F. Linder
Personal details
Born
Willard Long Thorp

(1899-05-24)May 24, 1899
Oswego, New York, U.S.
DiedMay 10, 1992(1992-05-10) (aged 92)
Pelham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materAmherst College
Occupationeconomist
statistician[1]
academic
public servant
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Biography

He was born on 24 May 1899 in Oswego, New York. He was raised in Chelsea, Massachusetts and Duluth, Minnesota. He graduated Amherst College in 1920.[4] In 1939 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association.[5][1]

He was Assistant Secretary of State under Truman for Economic Affairs 19461952;[3][6] a member of the U.S. delegation serving as special adviser on economic matters at the Paris Peace Conference of 1946;[3] special adviser on economic matters at the New York meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers in 1946;[7] and American representative to the United Nations General Assembly, 194748.[7]

He came under great strain during the McCarthy 'witch-hunt' investigations into alleged Communists 19501954[7] and eventually resigned, becoming a professor at Amherst College again instead.[3] In 1957, he served for a number of weeks as interim president of the college.[4]

He died on 10 May 1992 in Pelham, Massachusetts.

Works

  • Business Annals:United States, England, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Sweden, Netherlands, Italy, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Australia, India, Japan, China. New York: National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. 1926. Retrieved 19 June 2024 via Internet Archive.
  • Economic Institutions. New York: The Macmillan. 1929 via Internet Archive.
  • Trade, Aid, or What? Report based upon a conference on international economic policy at the Merrill Center for Economics, Summer - 1953. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press. 1954. Retrieved 19 June 2024 via Internet Archive.

References

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