author
Henry Charles Carey
1793–1879
A major voice in 19th-century American economic thought, he argued fiercely for protective tariffs and a distinctly national path to growth. Before becoming widely known as an economist, he built his career in Philadelphia's publishing world.
2 Audiobooks
The Slave Trade, Domestic and Foreign Why It Exists, and How It May Be Extinguished
by Henry Charles Carey
Letters on International Copyright; Second Edition
by Henry Charles Carey
About the author
Born in Philadelphia on December 15, 1793, Henry Charles Carey was the son of publisher and reformer Mathew Carey. He entered the family business and eventually took over the firm, becoming well established in the American book trade before turning more fully to political economy.
Carey went on to become one of the best-known American economists of the 19th century and a leading figure in the so-called American School. In books such as Principles of Political Economy and The Harmony of Interests, he argued against British free-trade ideas and favored tariffs, industrial development, and a close connection between national growth and social progress.
His ideas reached beyond academic debate. He was influential in public life and is widely described as an adviser to Abraham Lincoln's administration during the Civil War era. Carey died in Philadelphia on October 13, 1879, leaving behind a body of work that helped shape long-running arguments about trade, industry, and the American economy.