John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth Galbraith

Born: October 15, 1908
Died: April 29, 2006
in Iona Station, Ontario, Canada
John Kenneth Galbraith OC (October 15, 1908 – April 29, 2006), also known as Ken Galbraith, was a Canadian American economist, diplomat, public official, and intellectual. His books on economic topics were bestsellers from the 1950s through the 2000s. As an economist, he leaned toward post-Keynesian economics from an institutionalist perspective.

Galbraith was a long-time Harvard faculty member and stayed with Harvard University for half a century as a professor of economics. He was a prolific author and wrote four dozen books, including several novels, and published more than a thousand articles and essays on various subjects. Among his works was a trilogy on economics, American Capitalism (1952), The Affluent Society (1958), and The New Industrial State (1967). Some of his work has been criticized by economists Milton Friedman, Paul Krugman, Robert Solow, and Thomas Sowell.

Galbraith was active in Democratic Party politics, serving in the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson. He served as United States Ambassador to India under the Kennedy administration. His political activism, literary output and outspokenness brought him wide fame during his lifetime. Galbraith was one of the few to receive both the World War II Medal of Freedom (1946) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2000) for his public service and contributions to science.

Galbraith was born on October 15, 1908, to Canadians of Scottish descent, Sarah Catherine (Kendall) and Archibald "Archie" Galbraith, in Iona Station, Ontario, Canada, and was raised in Dunwich Township, Ontario. He had three siblings: Alice, Catherine, and Archibald William (Bill). By the time he was a teenager, he had adopted the name Ken, and later disliked being called John. Galbraith grew to be a very tall man, attaining a height of 6 feet 9 inches (206 cm).

His father was a farmer, school teacher, head of a cooperative insurance company, and local official of the Liberal Party. His mother, a homemaker and a community activist, died when he was fourteen years old. The family farm was located on Thomson Line. Both of his parents were supporters of the United Farmers of Ontario in the 1920s.

His early years were spent at a one-room school which is still standing, on 9468 Willey Road, in Iona Station. Later, he went to Dutton High School and St. Thomas High School. In 1931, Galbraith graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the Ontario Agricultural College, which was then an associate agricultural college of the University of Toronto. He majored in animal husbandry. He was awarded a Giannini Scholarship in Agricultural Economics (receiving $60 per month) that allowed him to travel to Berkeley, California, where he received masters and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in agricultural economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Galbraith was taught economics by Professor George Martin Peterson, and together they wrote an economics paper titled "The Concept of Marginal Land" in 1932 that was published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. ...

Source: Article "John Kenneth Galbraith" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Movies for John Kenneth Galbraith...

Life Under Mike
Title: Life Under Mike
Character: Self
Released: September 28, 2000
Type: Movie
A film examining the state of life in the Canadian province of Ontario under the far right regime of Premier Mike Harris.
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John F. Kennedy: A Personal Story
Title: John F. Kennedy: A Personal Story
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: November 3, 1996
Type: Movie
Relive the glory moments of John F. Kennedy's life as A&E's award-winning "Biography" series presents the compelling story of this unforgettable leader and the rich dynasty he left behind. John F. Kennedy will always be remembered as the youthful president who inspired America, a charismatic leader who gave the nation a sense of pride and confidence. His sharp mind, quick wit, and boundless determination won him friends, confidantes, and devoted followers. A World War II hero, respected senator, and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Profiles in Courage," Kennedy regarded life as a race against boredom. Through archival footage and interviews with friends, famous journalists, Hollywood actors, and former staffers- including ex-cabinet member John Kenneth Galbraith- "JFK: A Personal Story" revisits pivotel moments of Kennedy's life and presidency with clarity and insight.
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Who’s Counting? Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies and Global Economics
Title: Who’s Counting? Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies and Global Economics
Character: Self
Released: October 22, 1995
Type: Movie
This documentary profiles economist and writer Marilyn Waring. In extensive interviews, Waring details her feminist approach to finances and challenges commonly accepted truths about the global economy. The filmmakers detail Waring's early rise to political prominence and her successful protests against nuclear arms. Waring also speaks candidly about wartime economies, suggesting that government policies tend to marginalize the fiscal contributions of women.
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The Crash of 1929
Title: The Crash of 1929
Released: November 19, 1990
Type: Movie
Based on eight years of continued prosperity, presidents and economists alike confidently predicted that America would soon enter a time when there would be no more poverty, no more depressions -- a "New Era" when everyone could be rich. But when reality finally struck, the consequences of such unbound optimism shocked the world.
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Desert Island Discs
Title: Desert Island Discs
Character: Self
Released: February 23, 1982
Type: Movie
Arena celebrates Roy Plomley's Desert Island Discs with the help of many celebrity castaways, including Frankie Howerd, Russell Harty, Trevor Brooking, the Lord Mayor of London, Professor JK Galbraith and Arthur Askey. The special guest for the 40th anniversary programme was Paul McCartney who was also a fan of the show: 'I love its homeliness. It conjures up the best in traditional British pleasure, like the great British breakfast. It's an honour to be asked'.
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Title: The Age of Uncertainty
Character: Self
Released: January 10, 1977
Type: TV
A 13-part personal view by John Kenneth Galbraith of the rise and crisis of Industrial Society.
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The Memory of Justice
Title: The Memory of Justice
Character: Self - Professor, Harvard University
Released: October 4, 1976
Type: Movie
This exceptional, disturbing, and thought-provoking two-part documentary compares the atrocities committed by the Nazis as revealed during the Nuremberg trials to those committed by the French in Algeria and those done by the Americans in Vietnam. The four-hour epic questions the right of any country to pass self-righteous moral judgements upon the actions of another country.
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Title: Apostrophes
Character: Self
Released: January 10, 1975
Type: TV
Apostrophes was a live, weekly, literary, prime-time, talk show on French television created and hosted by Bernard Pivot. It ran for fifteen years (724 episodes) from January 10, 1975, to June 22, 1990, and was one of the most watched shows on French television (around 6 million regular viewers). It was broadcast on Friday nights on the channel France 2 (which was called "Antenne 2" from 1975 to 1992). The hourlong show was devoted to books, authors and literature. The format varied between one-on-one interviews with a single author and open discussions between four or five authors.
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Year of the Woman
Title: Year of the Woman
Released: October 1, 1973
Type: Movie
Utitlising humour, fantasy, animation, poetry and theatrics, Hochman and her crew challenge the male establishment for ignoring the first meeting of the National Women's Political Caucus and Shirley Chisholm's bid for US vice-president.
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Title: The Dick Cavett Show
Character: Self - Guest
Released: June 6, 1968
Type: TV
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.
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Adventures on the New Frontier
Title: Adventures on the New Frontier
Character: Self
Released: March 28, 1961
Type: Movie
A look at the daily business of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, with a focus on some of the political issues he faces six weeks into his term. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2007.