author
Arthur Latham Perry
1830–1905
Raised in poverty in rural New Hampshire, this American economist became one of the best-known classroom writers on political economy in the 19th century. He spent most of his career at Williams College and argued forcefully for free trade in clear, accessible prose.
1 Audiobook
Principles of Political Economy
by Arthur Latham Perry
About the author
Born in Lyme, New Hampshire, on February 27, 1830, Arthur Latham Perry worked his way up from a difficult childhood to graduate from Williams College in 1852. He soon joined the faculty there and went on to serve for decades as professor of history and political economy, later becoming professor emeritus.
Perry became widely known as an economist, teacher, and public advocate of free trade. His textbooks on political economy reached a broad audience, and he was especially associated with explaining economics through exchange and value in a style meant for students and general readers rather than specialists.
He died in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on July 9, 1905. Remembered both as a long-serving Williams professor and as a popularizer of economic thought, he helped shape how political economy was taught to American readers in the late 19th century.