History of NUI Galway, the Science Faculty and associated scientists.

John Elliot Cairnes (1823-1875)

Cairnes was unquestionably the most renowned professor of Jurisprudence and Political Economy at Queen’s College Galway, probably the most distinguished economist that Ireland has produced and generally considered to have been among the leading economists in the world at the time of his death. 

Cairnes was born in Castlebellingham, Co. Louth in 1823.  His family were in the brewing industry but he decided not to enter the family business and instead entered Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in 1842 and graduated six years later with a BA.  In 1854 he received his MA also from TCD.  He then worked in an engineer’s office in Galway and during that time he became acquainted with William Nesbitt, Professor of Latin and later of Greek at Queen’s College Galway.  In 1860 he married Eliza Alexander, the sister of Nesbitt’s wife.  It was Nesbitt who made Cairnes aware of the study of political economy and he encouraged him to compete for the Whately Professorship in Trinity College Dublin.  Cairnes was successful and became the sixth incumbent of the chair in 1856 and he held the position for the full five-year tenure.  In 1859 he was appointed to the chair of Jurisprudence and Political Economy at Queen’s College Galway, a position he held until 1870.  In 1866 he was appointed to the Professorship of Political Economy at University College London.  Thus he held joint professorship in Galway and Dublin between 1859 and 1861 and in London and Galway between 1866 and 1870.  However due to ill health he resigned from his London position in 1872, having already vacated his Galway chair two years previously.  Cairnes was a full time academic economist and was in fact one of the first professional economists in Great Britain and Ireland.  In 1874 the University of Dublin conferred an honorary degree of LLD on Cairnes.  He died at his home in London in 1875 after prolonged suffering.

Source:

Tom Boylan and Tadhg Foley: Political Economy, Economics and Commerce, From Queen’s College to National University, Tadhg Foley (ed), Four Courts Press, Dublin 1999.

Further Reading:

John Elliot Cairnes: The Character and Logical method of Political Economy, London, 1857, 2nd edition, expanded 1875.

John Elliot Cairnes: Some Leading Principles of Political Economy, London 1874. 

Back

• Disclaimer
• Privacy
• Copyright
• Accessibility