Thomas Sowell
Sign in to saveAmerican economist, social theorist, political philosopher and author
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Thomas Sowell is an American economist, social critic, political commentator and author. He advocates laissez-faire economics and, generally, libertarian ideological views. He is currently a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. In 1990, he won the Francis Boyer Award, presented by the American Enterprise Institute. In 2002, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal for prolific scholarship melding history, economics, and political science. In 2003, he was awarded
Key facts
- Born
- ( 1930-06-30 ) June 30, 1930 (age 95) , Gastonia, North Carolina , U.S.
- Political party
- Democratic (until 1972), Independent (after 1972)
- Spouses
- Alma Parr ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1964 ; divorced</span>"}]]}'>div. 1975 ) Mary Ash ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. January 17, 1981</span>"}]]}'>1981 )
- Education
- Harvard University ( BA ) Columbia University ( MA ) University of Chicago ( PhD )
- Doctoral advisor
- George Stigler
- Influences
- Smith Marx Keynes Hayek Friedman Stigler Brown
- Discipline
- Economic history Welfare economics Economic development Sociology Political sociology Education Higher education History Intellectual history African-American history Discrimination Race relations Historical linguistics
- School or tradition
- Chicago school of economics
- Awards
- Francis Boyer Award (1990) American Philosophical Society (1998) National Humanities Medal (2002) Bradley Prize (2004) GetAbstract International Book Award (2008)
- Allegiance
- United States
Article
Thomas Sowell (/soʊl/ SOHL; born June 30, 1930) is an American economist, economic historian, and social theorist. With widely published commentary and books—and as a guest on TV and radio—he is a well-known voice in the American conservative movement as a prominent black conservative. He is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and was a recipient of the National Humanities Medal from President George W. Bush in 2002.
Sowell was born in Gastonia, North Carolina, and grew up in Harlem, New York City. Due to poverty and difficulties at home, he dropped out of Stuyvesant High School and worked various odd jobs, eventually serving in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. Afterward, he graduated with honors from Harvard University in 1958. He earned a master's degree in economics from Columbia University the next year, and a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago in 1968. In his academic career, he held professorships at Cornell University, Brandeis University, and the University of California, Los Angeles. He has also worked at think tanks, including the Urban Institute. Since 1977, he has worked at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he is the Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow on Public Policy.
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1930 births20th-century African-American academics20th-century American economists20th-century American male writers20th-century American non-fiction writers20th-century American social scientists21st-century African-American academics21st-century American economists21st-century American male writers21st-century American non-fiction writersAfrican-American economists