Ayres, Clarence Edwin, 1891-1972

Ayres, born in Lowell Massachusetts, received his Ph. D. in philosophy from the University of Chicago in 1917. He taught at the University of Chicago, Amherst College, and Reed College before joining the Department of Economics at the University of Texas in 1930. Beside philosophy and economics his interests included science and technology and all the social sciences. His particular concern was the theory of value.

From the description of Ayres, Clarence Edwin, papers, 1919-1972. (University of Texas Libraries). WorldCat record id: 22711835

Clarence Edwin Ayres (1891-1972) received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Chicago in 1917. He taught at the University of Chicago (1917-1920), Amherst College (1920-1923), and Reed College (1924) before becoming the associate editor for the New Republic (1924-1927). In 1930, he joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin as Professor of Economics, a position he held until 1968. The author of nine books and countless articles, his seminal work is The Theory of Economic Progress (1944).

Influenced by Thorstein Veblen and John Dewey, Ayres rejected absolutism and touted a theory of value predicated on the freedom of inquiry. Ayers’s adherence to the freedom of inquiry naturally led to his ardent defense of academic freedom, a position which often placed him and his colleagues in the Department of Economics in conflict with the Board of Regents at UT. He vocally supported UT president Homer P. Rainey before the regents ousted Rainey, and in 1951 the Texas Legislature, branding Ayres as a Communist, voted 130-1 for the university to show cause as to why he should not be fired.

Sources:

University of Texas Faculty Council. “In Memoriam: Clarence Edwin Ayres.” http://www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/2000-2001/memorials/SCANNED/ayres.pdf . Accessed March 29, 2012.

From the guide to the Ayres (Clarence Edwin) Papers AR 73-106; 81-30. 22711835., 1919-1972., (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)