Robert Hessen

American economic and business historian (1936–2024)

Queens College (BA)
Harvard University (MA)
Columbia University (PhD)

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Ayn Rand
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Robert Hessen (September 1936 – April 15, 2024) was an American economic and business historian. He was a professor at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and a senior research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution.^[1] He was an Objectivist and authored several books, analyzing business and economic issues from an Objectivist perspective.

Early life and education

Robert Hessen was born in New York City. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Queens College, his Master of Arts from Harvard University, and then his Doctor of Philosophy from Columbia University.

Career

External videos
Remarks on Ayn Rand—Excepts of an interview with Hessen for the 2005 documentary Birth of Objectivism by Duncan Scott.

Prior to joining the Hoover Institution and taking his position at Stanford, he taught at the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University.

He was associated with philosopher Ayn Rand for 25 years, contributed articles to two of her periodicals, as well as her book, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. He was a featured commentator on Milton Friedman's award-winning PBS television documentary series, Free to Choose.

In 1985, Hessen became one of the founding board of governors of the Ayn Rand Institute.^[2] In 2000, he joined the Board of Advisors of The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies.^[3]

Among the books he wrote are Steel Titan: The Life of Charles M. Schwab and In Defense of the Corporation. He was also the editor of the multi-volume series Hoover Archival Documentaries. He was featured in shorter works in such diverse publications as The New York Times, Barron's, Business History Review, Labor History, The Hastings Law Journal and the Journal of Law and Economics. His essays, discussing capitalism and presenting a private-property-and-contractual model of corporations, were published in the Fortune Encyclopedia of Economics and the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics.

Hessen died at Stanford Hospital on April 15, 2024, at the age of 87.^[4]

Books

Hessen's books include:

Steel Titan: The Life of Charles M. Schwab (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1975)^[5]
In Defense of the Corporation (Hoover Institution Press, 1979)^[6]
Does Big Business Rule America? (edited, Ethics and Public Policy Center, 1982)^[7]
Berlin Alert: The Memoirs and Reports of Truman Smith (edited, Hoover Institution Press, 1984)^[8]
Breaking with Communism: The Intellectual Odyssey of Bertram D. Wolfe (edited, Hoover Institution Press, 1990)^[9]

References

^ Tupy, Marian. "Bernie Is Not a Socialist and America Is Not Capitalist". TheAtlantic.com. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
^ "Announcements". The Objectivist Forum. 5 (6): 13–15. December 1984.
^ "Adisors - The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies". The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
^ "Robert Hessen: September 1936 – April 15, 2024". Hoover Institution. April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
^
Reviews of Steel Titan:
- Alberts, Robert C. (December 28, 1975). "Steel Titan". The New York Times Book Review. p. 16.
- Eggert, Gerald G. (October 1976). "Review". The American Historical Review. 81 (4): 986–987. doi:10.2307/1865061. JSTOR 1865061.
- Ekirch, Arthur (November 1976). "Steel Titan: The Life of Charles M. Schwab". Reason.
- Livesay, Harold C. (Autumn 1976). "Review". Business History Review. 50 (3): 385–387. doi:10.2307/3113003. JSTOR 3113003. S2CID 156354220.
- Porter, Glenn (September 1976). "A Picture from Life's Other Side: Pocket Robber Baron". Reviews in American History. 4 (3): 415–420. doi:10.2307/2701459. JSTOR 2701459.
- Simon, Roger D. (October 1977). "Review". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 44 (4): 371–372. JSTOR 27772488.
- Yates, W. Ross (October 1976). "Review". Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 100 (4): 556–558. JSTOR 20091117.
- "Steel Titan: The Life of Charles M. Schwab". Kirkus Reviews. November 1, 1976.
^
Reviews of In Defense of the Corporation:
- Richard D. Auster, Southern Economic Journal, JSTOR 1057263
- Barry D. Baysinger, Public Choice, JSTOR 30023432
- Robert C. Downs, UMKC Law Review, [1]
- John C. Goodman, Journal of Economic Literature, JSTOR 2723920
- Donald L. Kemmerer, The Business History Review, JSTOR 3114094
- F. G. Kempin Jr., American Business Law Journal, [2]
- Edwin A. Locke, The Academy of Management Review, JSTOR 257210
- Henry G. Manne, University of Miami Law Review, [3]
- Lee E. Preston, The Bell Journal of Economics, JSTOR 3003366
- Walter Werner, Columbia Law Review, JSTOR 1121936
- Studia Diplomatica, JSTOR 44834800
^
Review of Does Big Business Rule America?:
- James W. Brock, Review of Industrial Organization, JSTOR 41798264
^
Reviews of Berlin Alert:
- Justus D. Doenecke, "A Military Observer in Hitler's Reich", Reviews in American History, JSTOR 2701916
- Michael Dunne, International Affairs, JSTOR 2619810
- Manfred Jonas, Military Affairs, JSTOR 1987941
- Fritz Stern, Foreign Affairs, JSTOR 20042140
^
Review of Breaking with Communism:
- Donald W. Treadgold, Russian History, JSTOR 24656416