Terence Hutchison dies

Goncalo Fonseca tells the HES below that Terence W. Hutchison has died.  I came to know his work  through that of Sam Hollander.  I failed initially to understand the significance of his assessment of Jevons on experimental legislation.  This was my own shortcoming; I soon came to appreciate the significance of all he wrote.   He attended the first professional presentation I made, as a young assistant professor at William and Mary, a paper in which I criticized his characterization of Jevons on policy.  I like to think that kindness (not lack of interest) prevented him from publicly taking me down a notch -- the paper wasn't particularly good and I'm sure he could have done so.  He was a tremendous source of ideas and knowledge for all of us.
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Dear HESers,

I have just received news that Terence W. Hutchison died, aged 95, at 1300
hours today, 5 October 2007 in Winchester, UK.

As everyone here knows, Prof. Hutchison was particularly highly regarded
among historians of economics and his passing will be received with much
sorrow.  A great loss.

Goncalo Fonseca

Comments

[Subroto Roy]

I am sorry to hear of T. W. Hutchison's passing. One of his Birmingham colleagues told me in 2004 that he was in an old people's home. He (along with CJ Bliss) examined my doctoral thesis at Cambridge University in 1982. His contributions to economics were large and in a better world, his works would have been much better known.

[Bill Filby]

I thought you would like to know that your website was mentioned at Terence Hutchison's funeral today during a tribute by one of his grandsons. There were 23 direct descendants present, including 14 great grand children, and the occasion provided a fitting commemoration of TWH's life. Birmingham University and UCL were represented and there was a reading of a paragraph written by Bob Coates that explained Terence's position as a controversial but respected author. We will all miss him greatly and it is nice to read comments such as those on here (although we know that not everyone agrees!).