On November 23, 2015 the Clayton community lost an internationally recognized economist. Douglass North, PhD, a resident of Clayton for over 30 years, was a Nobel Laureate and distinguished academic scholar at Washington University.

In 1993 North and Robert Fogel, PhD, won the Nobel Prize in economic sciences for their research on the history of economic development in the United States and Europe.

The Nobel Foundation recognized North’s major accomplishments in the different fields of economics. North was a pioneer in cliometrics, using statistics to interpret economic history. The other contribution that the organization recognized was North’s work and research on institutions and effect on the economy.

North worked at University of Washington, Rice University, Cambridge University, Washington University in St. Louis, Stanford University, and Hoover Institution.

North joined the faculty at Washington University of St. Louis in 1983, and has had a lasting impact on the staff.

John Nachbar, PhD, the Department Chair of Economics at Washington University in St. Louis was a dear friend of North, “He was down to earth and intellectually fearless. He would pursue arguments no matter where they led. He loved interacting with students; right up until his retirement, he co-taught an undergraduate seminar on institutions.”

North was involved in numerous ventures outside of academia, “He was a conscientious objector during World War II and he served in the merchant marine in the Pacific, delivering supplies to combat units,” Nachbar said. “He had an aircraft pilot’s license. He was an accomplished photographer.”

North struggled with the decision to become an economist or a photographer. North worked with renowned photographer Dorothea Lange, photographing migrants in California. Lange’s husband, Paul Taylor, was a professor in economics at University of California. Taylor persuaded North to go back to graduate school and become an economist.

North was an energetic and caring man, according to Gaetano Antinolfi, PhD, a Professor in Macroeconomics at Washington University in St. Louis, “North was a wonderful person, and was always very generous with his time and energy to his colleagues, and to me in particular. It was a great privilege.”