Veblen, Thorstein

Social critic, economist (1857-1929)

The son of Norwegian immigrants, Veblen was born in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, and grew up in rural Minnesota. He received his B.A from Carleton College (1880) and Ph.D. in philosophy from Yale (1884). Unable to attain a teaching position, he spent seven unhappy years at home in Minnesota before resuming his academic career. From 1892 to 1906, he taught political economy at the University of Chicago, gaining a reputation as a brilliant, eccentric thinker and innovative teacher. His first and most famous book, The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899), also established him as an important social critic. In this and subsequent works, Veblen fiercely assailed the influence of laissez-faire economics and big business in shaping modern society and culture.

Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929), social scientist and © 1997 State Historical Society of Wisconsin

Veblen's gruff manner and unconventional personal life also garnered notoriety. The Chicago administration forced him out in 1906 following an extramarital affair. He taught at Stanford for three years, only to be expelled again for personal reasons. In 1919, he became a founding member of the New School for Social Research in New York. SOURCE: Encyclopedia of American Biography; Webster's American Biographies.

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