Kahn, Richard F. (Richard Ferdinand), 1905-

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Epithet: Baron Kahn, economist

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000561.0x000274

Richard Ferdinand Kahn was born in Hampstead, London on 10 August 1905. His father, Augustus Kahn was a schoolmaster and an orthodox Jew, raised in England by his German parents. Augustus married Regina Schoyer, and Richard was one of several children.

Richard Kahn went to St Paul's School; he won a scholarship to King's College and was admitted in 1924. He read mathematics for part I of the tripos, then natural sciences for part II, eventually deciding to continue for a fourth year to study economics. His BA was awarded in 1927. Richard was supervised by Gerald Shove and John Maynard Keynes; he was encouraged by them and by Piero Sraffa to write a Fellowship dissertation, and in 1930 was elected a Fellow of King's College.

Richard Kahn was the Second Bursar of the College from 1935-46, then First Bursar from 1946-51 (following the death of Keynes). He was a Lecturer in Economics within the Faculty of Economics and Politics from 1933. He also held lecturing posts within the College from 1936, and was Director of Studies for economics students at King's from 1947. In 1951 he resigned from these posts to take up a Professorship of Economics, which he retained until 1972. During the second world war Kahn worked as a civil servant with Oliver Lyttelton in the Board of Trade, including a year in Cairo, and in the Ministry of Production and the Ministry of Supply, where he began work on buffer stocks.

Kahn worked closely with members of the Cambridge 'circus' of economists, and was involved in the genesis of Joan Robinson's work on imperfect competition and in John Maynard Keynes' 'General Theory'. Kahn himself published articles in economics journals, and co-authored 'The Free Trade Proposals', (1960) and 'The Problem of Rising Prices', (1961).

Kahn died in Cambridge on 6 June 1989.

Honours: CBE 1946, Fellow of British Academy 1960, created Baron Kahn of Hampstead 1965..

For biographical details of Richard Kahn readers are directed to the following works:

J. Eatwell, M. Milgate and P. Newman (eds.) 'New Palgrave: a dictionary of economics' (London: Macmillan, 1987) vol. 3, pp. 1-3;

G. C. Harcourt 'R. F. Kahn: a tribute', in 'Banca Nazionale del Lavoro Quarterly Review' No. 176, March 1991, pp. 15-30;

King's College, Cambridge 'Annual Report' 1990, pp. 28-39.

From the guide to the The Papers of Richard Ferdinand Kahn, 1890-1989, (King's College Archive Centre, Cambridge)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Second Supplementary Harrod Papers. Vol. xv (ff. 168). Letters concerning the biography of J. M. Keynes; 1951-1968.includes:f. 1 Geoffrey Birkbeck, artist: Letters to Lady Harrod of Geoffrey Birkbeck: 1937, 1951.ff. 2-21, 56, 64-75v, 78, 79, 91-93v..., 1951-1968 British Library
referencedIn MEADE, James Edward, 1907-1995, economist, 1921-[1995] British library of political and economic science
creatorOf Second Supplementary Harrod Papers. Vol. xiv (ff. 177).1. ff. 1, 2. Letters of J. M. Keynes; 1921, 1937.2. ff. 3-177. Letters concerning the biography of J.M. Keynes; 1945-1950.Frances Partridge, née Marshall; CBE: Letters to Sir R. F. Harrod of Fran..., 1921-1950 British Library
creatorOf Second Supplementary Harrod Papers. Vol. xvi. (ff. 186).1. ff. 1-94. Letters concerning the biography of J. M. Keynes; 1969-1976.2. ff. 95-186. Letters concerning bibliographies of J. M. Keynes; 1952-1976.includes:ff. 1-4, 16, 21-26, 29, 31-34v, 37 ..., 1952-1976 British Library
creatorOf Vol. xxxix. (ff. 219). 1950-1956.includes:f. 2 Ernest Fraser Jacob, historian: Letters to Sir Roy Forbes Harrod from Ernest Fraser Jacob: 1920-1959, n.d.ff. 5, 27 Russell Cornell Leffingwell, of Wall Street, New York: Letters to Sir R. F. Harrod ..., 1950-1956 British Library
creatorOf MARGARET GARDINER PAPERS. Vol. II (ff. 204). Correspondence and papers; 1966. 1. ff. 1-106. Labour voters' protest on Vietnam; April 1966. 2. ff. 107-204. Protest meeting at Jeanetta Cochrane Theatre; July 1966.includes:ff. 2, 198 Sir Alfred Jules ..., 1966 British Library
referencedIn The Papers of Richard Ferdinand Kahn, 1890-1989 King's College Archive Centre, Cambridge
creatorOf Vol. xl. (ff. 192). 1957-1965.includes:f. 1 Sir Ernest Llewellyn Woodward, historian: Letters to Sir Roy Forbes Harrod from Sir Ernest Llewellyn Woodward: 1922-1959.ff. 1-7 Elizabeth II of England; Suez expedition: Correspondence, etc., of Sir R...., 1957-1965 British Library
creatorOf The Papers of Richard Ferdinand Kahn, 1890-1989 King's College Archive Centre, Cambridge
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Kahn Richard Ferdinand 1905-1989 person
associatedWith Keynes John Maynard 1883-1946 person
associatedWith Meade, James Edward, 1907-1995 person
associatedWith Robinson Joan Violet 1903-1983 person
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Birth 1905-08-10

Death 1989-06-06

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English

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