Harry Gordon Johnson

Harry Gordon Johnson, born on May twenty-six, nineteen twenty-three, was a prominent Canadian economist renowned for his extensive research in international trade and finance. His contributions to the field were so significant that Nobel laureate James Tobin remarked that the latter part of the twentieth century could be considered 'an Age of Johnson,' highlighting the profound impact he had on the economics profession worldwide.

In nineteen fifty-six, Johnson was appointed as a professor of economics at Manchester University. However, his career took a pivotal turn in nineteen fifty-nine when he became a professor at the University of Chicago, where he served until his untimely death in nineteen seventy-seven. He was later honored as the Charles F. Grey Distinguished Service Professor in nineteen sixty-nine. Additionally, he held a professorship at the London School of Economics from nineteen sixty-six to nineteen seventy-four and briefly taught at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva.

Throughout his career, Johnson made significant contributions to academic literature, serving twice as the editor of the Journal of Political Economy. His life was marked by personal challenges, including a stroke at the age of forty-nine, which ultimately led to his premature death from a second stroke at the age of fifty-three.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to economics, the Canadian government appointed him an officer of the Order of Canada in nineteen seventy-six. The following year, he was named a distinguished fellow of the American Economic Association. To honor his legacy, the Canadian Economics Association established the annual Harry G. Johnson Prize, awarded for the best paper published in the Canadian Journal of Economics.