Robert W. Clower

COLUMBIA - Robert W. Clower was born February 13, 1926 in Pullman, WA. He rose to Chief Warrant Officer in the Headquarters of the 12th Army Group under General Omar Bradley and landed on Omaha Beach one day after the invasion. While in the army he married his first wife, Frances Hepburn, with whom he was to have five children. He returned to Pullman in 1946, and graduated from Washington State University with a B.A. in Economics in 1948. In 1949 he earned his M.A. from WSU, was selected a Rhodes Scholar and studied in Oxford, England under the tutelage of Sr. John Hicks. He returned to teach at WSU in 1952.

In 1958 Robert moved to Northwestern University, and for many years he divided his time between Northwestern and the University of Essex, England, where for a time he served as the Dean of the Essex Social Science faculty. In 1971 he moved to UCLA as Professor of Economics. In California he married his second wife Georgene Thousendfriend, with whom he had two daughters. In 1986 he accepted the Hugh C. Lane chair at the University of South Carolina where he remained until his retirement in June, 2000.

During his career he held visiting appointments in France, Austria, Pakistan, Uganda, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Italy. In 1961-62 he was Director of the World Bank Economic Survey of Liberia, and it was here that he wrote what was to become his most famous article, "The Keynesian Counter-Revolution: A Theoretical Appraisal," a trenchant contribution that forced a general reappraisal of the theory of John Maynard Keynes and its relationship to Classical economics, and spawned an extensive literature. It identified a critical deficiency in how money had traditionally been modeled, and Clower later enlarged on this insight in a string of papers arguing that monetary theory has to be developed from an understanding of how exchange is organized in a modern economy. Although his work was later overshadowed by the New Classical economics, the recent financial crisis has given his contributions a renewed relevance.

Robert received much professional recognition and many honors. He was named a Fellow of the Econometric Society and received an honorary doctorate from Oxford University. He served terms on the Executive Committee of the American Economic Association and as President first of the Western Economic Association and later of the Southern Economic Association. He was editor of Economic Inquiry (1973-1980) and of the American Economic Review (1980-1984). His published papers, books and letters reside in the archives of Duke University.

Robert was predeceased by his first wife Frances; his brother William; his sister Virginia Newquist; and his beloved daughter Leslie Clower Nixon. He is survived by his children Ailsa Clower Gray & her husband John of Keizer, OR; Ian Clower and Valerie Clower Berry and her husband Mark, all of Prineville, OR; Stephanie Clower Clarke and her husband Donald of Colchester, Essex, England; Anna Clower Laity and her husband Jeff of Pasadena, CA; Katie Clower of Minneapolis, MN; by his son-in-law Mark Nixon and his wife Katie, of Centreville, VA; by 5 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren; by countless friends and former students around the world; and especially by his partner of over 40 years, Georgene.

The family wishes to thank United Hospice for the care that allowed Robert to remain at home. Robert chose to donate his body to The Gift of Body Program at the University of South Carolina Medical School, so there will not be a funeral; however the family will welcome visitors at Dunbar Funeral Home, 3926 Devine St., Columbia SC from 6-8 pm on Thurs. May 5. No flowers please; if you wish to memorialize Robert you may make contributions to The Carolina Children's Home, 3201 Trenholm Rd, Columbia SC 29204, or to United Hospice, 903 Elmwood Ave, Columbia SC 29201.