
author
1852–1941
A Scottish civil servant and economist, he wrote clearly about political economy and became especially known for his work on the history of economic thought. His books helped later readers trace how economic ideas developed over time.

by James Bonar
Born on September 27, 1852, James Bonar was a Scottish civil servant, political economist, and historian of economic thought. Alongside his government career, he built a lasting reputation as a careful scholar of economics and social questions.
He is best remembered for writing on major thinkers and for helping map the intellectual history of economics. His work on Malthus and his studies of economic ideas made him a valued guide for readers trying to understand how political economy changed across generations.
Bonar died on January 18, 1941. Though not as widely known today as some of the figures he studied, he remains an important link between nineteenth-century economics and the later history of the discipline.