John Henry Williams (1887–1980)

John Henry Williams (1887–1980) was an influential economist and central banker in the inter-war years. A member of the “Taussig School” of young international economists, he became a professor at Harvard University in 1929 and emeritus in 1957. Williams wrote extensively on trade policy, balance of payments adjustment, and monetary policy and reform, providing both new theoretical perspectives and original empirical analysis. As an economist in the public service, he joined the New York Federal Reserve Bank in 1933, became its vice president in 1936 and one of the leading figures in shaping monetary reforms after the Great Crash. Beginning in 1936, he also acted as the first dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Public Administration. This chapter provides a general assessment of Williams’ main contributions as a Harvard economist and a central banker across his various fields of research and activity.