Henry Charles Carey - Early Years

Early Years

Carey was the son of Mathew Carey (1760-1839), an influential economist, political reformer, editor, and publisher, who was born in Ireland but for many years lived in Philadelphia. Matthew Carey was a member of the publishing firm of Carey & Lea, which was long the most conspicuous in America. When Henry Carey was 28 years old, he succeeded his father as a member of the publishing firm. Among Mathew Carey's many writings had been a collection (1822) of Essays on Political Economy, one of the earliest of American treatises favoring Alexander Hamilton's idea of protection and promotion of industry.

In 1835, Carey co-founded the famous Franklin Fire Insurance Company of Philadelphia. He retired from business in 1838, almost simultaneously with the appearance (1837-1840) of his book Principles of Political Economy. This treatise soon became the standard representation of the American school of economic thought, and was translated into Italian and Swedish, with some variance. It dominated the US economic system until 1973.

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