author
Henry B. (Henry Brayton) Gardner
1863–1939
A Brown University economist and teacher, he wrote a detailed early study of Rhode Island's tax history that still appeals to readers interested in public finance and local history. His work blends careful archival research with a clear interest in how government and everyday economic life fit together.
1 Audiobook
History of Taxation in Rhode Island to the Year 1790
by Henry B. (Henry Brayton) Gardner
About the author
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, on March 26, 1863, he studied at Brown University and later earned a Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University. He spent most of his academic career at Brown, where he taught economics for decades and eventually became the first Eastman Professor of Political Economy.
His best-known book, History of Taxation in Rhode Island to the Year 1790, grew out of his doctoral research and focuses on how taxation developed in the colony and early state. The book stands out for its close attention to laws, institutions, and the practical side of public finance.
He was also active beyond the classroom: in 1919 he served as president of the American Economic Association. He died on April 22, 1939, leaving behind a career closely tied to the early growth of economics as an academic field in the United States.