Dorothy Brady

1903-1977

Dorothy Stahl Brady was born in Elk River, Minnesota, June 14, 1903. Her academic training was at Reed College, Portland, Oregon where she got a A.B. in 1924. In between her A.B. and M.A. she was at New York University and the University of Berlin. She received her M.A. from Cornell University in 1926, and the Ph.D. from the University of California Berkeley in 1933. As an outstanding woman of her generation with a modest and unassuming manner, she was original and creative and injected warmth and vitality into her work.

Dorothy brought a questioning and often skeptical outlook to economics and economic history. She was not interested in superficial generalizations but wanted to penetrate to the reality of people's material lives. She was a pioneer in economic measurement but was much more than a mere qualifier. Work was part and parcel of her life.

But beyond her intellectual achievements, she was a woman of character, courage, and immense humanity. Of all the work she did, she liked teaching best--whether it was undergraduate, graduate, or a colleague. She was a stimulating and patient teacher with an ability to put complicated concepts into simple words. As graduate chair at the University of Pennsylvania, she worked untiringly to provide intellectual and financial support for students because she felt no student was beyond hope.

Dr. Brady taught mathematics and statistics at Vassar College 1926-27; New York University 1928-30 and the University of Illinois 1948-51. She did teaching and research in economics at the University of Chicago (as a professor of economics) 1956-58, and at the University of Pennsylvania 1958-70. She spent time as Et research assistant at the National Bureau of Economic Research in 1927, home economics specialist Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics USDA 1936-43, Chief of the family expenditure section Division of Prices and Cost of Living Bureau of Labor Statistics USDA 1943-44; Chief of the cost of living branch Consumer Price Index 1944-48; consultant on cost and standards of living Consumer Price Index 1951-53; Chief of the division of prices and cost of living Bureau of Labor Statistics 1953-56; and consultant on prices and cost of living Bureau of Labor Statistics 1956-60.

Dorothy Stahl Brady became an Emeritus Professor of Economics University of Pennsylvania in 1970 but remained active in economics history from her home in Arkville, New York. She was married to Robert Alexander Brady, himself a prominent economist from 1923-1936. To this marriage was born a son Michael. Dr. Brady died at her home in New York April 17, 1977.

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