Anna Schwartz

Anna Jacobson Schwartz (pronounced ; November 11, 1915 – June 21, 2012) was an American economist who worked at the National Bureau of Economic Research in New York City and a writer for The New York Times. Paul Krugman has said that Schwartz is "one of the world's greatest monetary scholars." Schwartz collaborated with Nobel laureate Milton Friedman on A Monetary History of the United States, 1867–1960, which was published in 1963. This book placed the blame for the Great Depression at the door of the Federal Reserve System. Robert J. Shiller describes the book as the "most influential account" of the Great Depression. She was also president of the Western Economic Association International in 1988. Schwartz was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2013. Early life and education Schwartz was born Anna Jacobson on November 11, 1915, in New York City to Pauline (née Shainmark) and Hillel Jacobson. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Barnard College at 18 and gained her master's degree in economics from Columbia University in 1935, at 19. She started her career as a professional economist one year later.