Joseph J. Spengler

Economist, statistician, and historian of economic thought

What is Joseph J. Spengler known for?

Joseph John Spengler, born on November 19, 1902, in Piqua, Ohio, was an distinguished American economist, statistician, and historian of economic thought. Spengler graduated from Piqua High School and had an academic journey that began with journalism and evolved through sociology and political science, culminating in economics. He achieved his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from Ohio State University, making significant contributions to the field of economics through his study on fertility rates of native-born and immigrant women in the United States.

Starting his teaching career at the University of Arizona, Spengler moved to Duke University in 1932 and stayed there until his retirement in 1972. As the James B. Duke Professor of Economics, he established the university's first graduate-level program in Economic History and the History of Political Economy (HOPE) research group alongside Earl J. Hamilton.

Throughout his career, Spengler held advisory roles in the US government and the United Nations and also worked for the Office of Price Administration during World War II. He had diverse interests, but his focus on population studies and demographic aspects of economics was a constant. In fact, his first book, "France Faces Depopulation," published in 1938, studied the cultural and political causes of France's population decline before World War II. His insights into demographic economics persisted throughout his career, culminating in "The Economics of Individual and Population Aging" published in 1980.

In recognition of his tremendous contributions, Spengler received the 1951 John Frederick Lewis Award from the American Philosophical Society and the 1981 Distinguished Fellow Award from the History of Economics Society. Additionally, he had the honor of being a member of both the American Philosophical Society (1954) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1964).

Spengler passed away at the age of 88 in Durham, North Carolina, from Alzheimer's disease. He was survived by his wife, Dorothy Marie Kress, with whom he co-authored "Maintenance of Postwar Full Employment" (1944). In his honor, the History of Economics Society established the annual Joseph J. Spengler Prize for the best book published on the history of economics in 2004.

Here are some of his notable publications:

• "France Faces Depopulation" (1938)
• "Vertical Integration and Antitrust Policy," Journal of Political Economy (1950)
• "The Population Obstacle to Economic Betterment," American Economic Review (1951)
• "Economic Thought of Islam: Ibn Khaldun," Comparative Studies in Society and History (1964)
• "Values and Fertility Analysis," Demography (1966)
• "The Economist and the Population Question," American Economic Review (1966)
• "Population Economics: Selected Essays of Joseph J. Spengler" (1972)
• "Origins of Economic Thought and Justice" (1980)
• "The Economics of Individual and Population Aging" (1980)