Romaine Elizabeth (Boody) Schumpeter, 1898-1953

Elizabeth Boody Schumpeter, economist and expert on East Asia, was educated at Radcliffe College, earning a B.A. in 1920, an M.A. in 1925, and a Ph.D. in 1934. From 1935 to 1940 she worked for the Bureau of International Research at Harvard University, where she directed two studies: one of English trade during the 18th century, and one on the industrialization of Japan and Manchukuo. These resulted in the publication of two books, one of them posthumous: The Industrialization of Japan and Manchukuo (1940) and English Overseas Trade Statistics, 1697-1808 (1960). She married Joseph A. Schumpeter, a fellow economist, in 1937, and until his death in 1950 assisted him with his research and writing; History of Economic Analysis (1954), which she edited, was based on JAS's research. She also taught briefly at Vassar (1927-1928) and at Wheaton College (1938-1939, 1948-1949).

As a lecturer and author of articles on East Asian economics and politics, EBS advocated a "moderate isolationist" policy in the Pacific during the years preceding World War II. She was assistant editor of the Quarterly Journal of Economics. During her years at Harvard, she divided her time between Cambridge and Taconic, Connecticut, where she ran a small nursery.