Hendrik Samuel Houthakker   [1924-2008]

 

Hendrik Houthakker, a Dutch born but Jewish young man, was able to survive the holocaust, by hiding and, for some time, being sheltered by a Catholic family, in the Netherlands, during the World War II years, when his age ranged from 15 to 20.

Following World War II, he was able to continue his education, and received his Ph. D. degree in Economics from the University of Amsterdam in 1949. Following his graduation, Houthakker joined the research staff at Cambridge University's applied economics department.

During his time at Cambridge University, he published his seminal paper, entitled "Revealed Preference and the Utility Function", in the prestigious "Economica" journal. That paper later, in 1963, earned him the American Economic Association's John Bates Clark Medal, for the most promising paper by an economist under 40.

In 1952, Houthakker was invited to the United States to work for the Cowles Commission for Research in Economics at the University of Chicago. He would remain there for two years, and moved on in 1954.

In 1954, Houthakker accepted an academic appointment in the Economics Department at Stanford University, where he would retain his appointment until 1960. During his Stanford appointment, he was able to enjoy three visiting academic appointments at other universities. In 1955, he was a Visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo. Two years later, he held a Visiting Professorship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from 1957 to 1958, and from 1958 to 1959, he held a Visiting appointment at Harvard University. With all the visiting appointments, one must wonder how much time he was able to spend at Stanford University. But the visiting appointments indicate how highly he was considered in the Economics profession.

A year following his Harvard visiting appointment, Houthakker was offered a permanent academic appointment in Economics at Harvard University, an appointment he would maintain until his retirement in 1994. But during his tenure at Harvard University he would hold some important federal government positions as described below.

During the Nixon Administration, Houthakker was appointed to the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers where he served as a senior economist from 1966 to 1967. Two years later, in 1969, Houthakker was appointed to be a member of the three member, U. S. Council of Economic Advisers, advising President Nixon on issues facing the U. S. economy.

Professor Houthakker's contributions in the field of economics focused on the theories of consumer behavior. Houthakker's theoretical contribution consisted of settling the dispute over whether the revealed preference approach was equivalent to the utility function approach. He was able to prove equivalence which settled that question. His empirical contributions focused on consumer demand. He was able to develop techniques for estimating relations that could predict consumption or expenditure patterns using prices, incomes and demographic variables.

Other contributions Houthakker made during his academic career consisted of his service on the National Commission of Supplies and Shortages from 1975 to 1977. He also served his profession by his editorship of the "Review of Economics and Statistics", from 1971 to 1991.

Professor Houthakker was married to Polish-born philosopher Anna-Theresa Tymieniecka. At the time of his death the couple had been married for 52 years. The couple had three children, Louis Houthakker, Jan-Nicholas Houthakker, and Isabella Houthakker. He was also survived by a brother.

Houthakker's wife had known Karol Wojtyla, the Polish cardinal, before he became Pope John Paul II in 1978. Houthakker was instrumental to have Cardinal Wojtila invited to speak at Harvard prior to 1978. Prior to the then cardinal's lecture, Houthakker introduced Wojtyla as the next pope, a statement that became reality later. The pope recognized Houthakker later, by inviting him to a Vatican Symposium in 1991, and in 2003, the Pope awarded Houthakker with a papal honor.

Professor Houthakker was born on December 31, 1924 in the city of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. His father, Bernard Houthakker, was a prominent art dealer, who had hoped his son would follow him in his art business. But Hendrik would decide to follow a different career path. His mother's family name was Lichtenstein. Hendrik Houthakker passed away on April 15, 2008 from a condition called myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disorder that makes swallowing difficult.

 

REFERENCES

Hendrik S. Houthakker, NNDB, http://www.nndb.com/people/868/000161385

Hendrik Houthakker, 83; Economist, Nixon Adviser, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/22/AR20080422071.html28 (link no longer active)

Hendrik S. Houthakker, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendrik_S._Houthakker

 

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