When tracing the history of the CEA, some people allude to the precedent created by FDR's appointment of Lauchlin Currie as his White House adviser on economic affairs, 1939-45. Currie was the first professional economist to work in the White House as adviser to the President. (William Barber tells me that Irving Fisher claims this was on his recommendation, but this is disputable.)



Interestingly, one of Currie's students in 1967-68 at Simon Fraser University (and my classmate there) was Martin Neil Baily who was himself to be Chairman of the CEA during the Clinton presidency, 1999-2001.

Roger Sandilands

  (author, _The Life and Political Economy of Lauchlin Currie_, Duke UP, 1990)

________________________________________
From: Societies for the History of Economics [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dr Robert Anthony Cord [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, September 12, 2011 6:32 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [SHOE] US Council of Economic Advisors

Dear all

I'm interested in the history and influence of the US Council of Economic
Advisers, the main economic advisory body to the president. Although I've
come across a few articles, there does not seem to be any book-length
treatment. Does anybody know of any such work?

Many thanks

Bob