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Wassily Leontief (August 5, 1906 - February 5,
1999), born at Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg,
Russia), was an economist notable for his research
on how changes in one economic sector may have an
effect on other sectors. Leontief won Bank of
Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of
Alfred Nobel in 1973.

==Biography==
===Early Life===
Wassily Leontief, the son of Wassily W. Leontief
(professor of Economics) and Eugenia, entered the
Saint Petersburg State University|University of
Leningrad in present day Saint Petersburg|St.
Petersburg in 1921. He earned his Learned
Economist degree (equivalent to Master of Arts) in
1925 at the age of 19.

===Opposition to Communism===
He was arrested several times because of his
opposition to Communism.

In 1925 he was allowed to leave the USSR, so he
continued his studies at the University of Berlin
(http://www.hu-berlin.de/) and in 1929 he earned a
Ph.D. degree in Economics with a specialty in
Input-Output Analysis and Economics.

===Early Professional Life===
From 1927 to 1930 he worked at the Institute for
World Economics of the University of Kiel
(http://www.uni-kiel.de/). There he researched the
derivation of statistical demand and supply
curves. In 1929 he travelled to China to assist
the Ministry of Railroads as an advisor.

In 1931 he went to the USA, and was employed by
the National Bureau of Economic Research
(http://www.nber.org/).

===Marriage and Affiliation with Harvard===
In 1932 Leontief married the poet Estelle Marks.
Their only child, Svetlana Leontief Alpers, was
born in 1936.

Harvard University (http://www.harvard.edu/)
employed him in the same year (1932) in its
Department of Economics
(http://www.economics.harvard.edu/), and in 1946
he became a professor of Economics.

Leontief set up the Harvard Economic Research
Project in 1948 and remained its director until
1973.  Starting in 1965 he chaired the Harvard
Society of Fellows.

===Affiliation with New York University===
In 1975 Leontief joined New York University
(http://www.nyu.edu/) and founded and directed the
Center for Economic Analysis. 

===Death===
Leontief died in New York, New York|New York City,
New York, USA, on Friday, February 5, 1999 at the
age of 93.

==Personal==
It is known that he enjoyed trout fishing, ballet,
and fine wines.

==Publications==
* 1941: Structure of the American Economy,
1919-1929
* 1953: Studies in the Structure of the American
Economy
* 1966: Input-Output Economics
* 1966: Essays in Economics
* 1977: Essays in Economics, II
* 1977: The Future of the World Economy
* 1983: Military Spending: Facts and Figures,
Worldwide Implications and Future Outlook
co-authed with F. Duchin.
* 1983: The Future of Non-Fuel Minerals in the U.
S. And World Economy co-authed with J. Koo, S.
Nasar and I. Sohn
* 1986: The Future Impact of Automation on Workers
co-authed with F. Dochin

==Awards==
* 1953: Order of the Cherubim, University of Pisa
* 1962: Dr honoris causa, University of Brussels
* 1967: Dr of the University, University of York
* 1968: Officer of the French Legion d'Honneur
* 1970: Bernhard-Harms Prize Economics, West
Germany
* 1971: Dr honoris causa, University of Louvain
* 1972: Dr honoris causa, University of Paris
(Sorbonne)
* 1973: Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences
in Memory of Alfred Nobel, aka Nobel Prize in
Economics
* 1976: Dr honoris causa, University of
Pennsylvania
* 1980: Dr honoris causa, University of Toulouse,
France
* 1980: Dr honoris causa, University of
Louisville, Kentucky
* 1980: Doctor of Social Sciences, University of
Vermont
* 1980: Doctor of Laws, C. W. Post Center, Long
Island University
* 1980: Russian-American Hall of Fame
* 1981: Karl Marx University, Budapest, Hungary
* 1984: Order of the Rising Sun, Japan
* 1985: Commandeur, French Order of Arts and
Letters
* 1988: Dr honoris causa, Adelphi College
* 1988: Foreign member, Russian Academy of
Science|USSR Academy of Sciences
* 1989: Society of the Optimate, Italian Cultural
Institute, New York, New York|New York
* 1990: Dr honoris causa, University of Cordoba,
Spain
* 1991: Takemi Memorial Award, Institute of Seizon
& Life Sciences, Japan
* 1995: Harry Edmonds Award for Life Achievement,
International House, New York, New York|New York
* 1995: Dr honoris causa, Humboldt University,
Berlin, Germany

==In Honor==
Tufts University awards the Leontief Prize for
economics in his honor.

==Memberships==
* 1954: President of the Econometric Society
* 1968: Corresponding Member of the Institut de
France
* 1970: President of the American Economic
Association
* 1970: Corresponding Fellow of the British
Academy
* 1974: US-USSR Commission on the Social Sciences
and Humanities of the International Research and
Exchanges Board
* 1975: American Committee on East-West Accord
* 1975: Accademia Nazionale dei Lincie, Italy
* 1976: President and Section F. of the British
Association for the Advancement of Science
* 1976: Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy
* 1977: Fellow of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science
* 1978: Commission to Study the Organization of
Peace
* 1978 - 1986: Board of Trustees of North Carolina
School of Science and Mathematics
* 1979: Century Club
* 1979: Issues Committee of the Progressive
Alliance
* 1980: Committee for National Security
* 1981: Board of Visitors, College of Liberal
Arts, Boston University
* 1981: Board of Editors, Journal of Business
Strategy
* 1982: International Advisory Council of the
Delian Institute of International Relations
* 1982: Accademia Mediterranea Delle Scienze,
Italy
* 1983: Board of Advisors, Environmental Fund
* 1983: Board of Directors, Tolstoy Foundation
* 1985: International Committee, Carnegie-Mellon
University
* 1990: Academy of Creative Endeavors, USSR
* 1992: International Charitable Foundation,
Russia
* 1993: Academie Europeenne
* 1993: Honorary President of the World Academy
for the Progress of Planning Science, Italy
* 1993: Member of the Academie Universelle des
Cultures, France
* 1994: Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences
* 1995: Member of the International Leadership
Center on Longevity & Society, Mt. Sinai Hospital
* American Philosophical Society
* American Academy of Arts and Sciences
* International Statistical Institute
* Honorary Member of the Japan Economic Research
Center, Tokyo
* Honorary Fellow of the Royal Statistical
Society, London

==Quote==
We move from more or less plausible but really
arbitrary assumptions, to elegantly demonstrated
but irrelevant conclusions.

==See also==
* Economics
* List of economists
* Input-output model

==External links==
*
http://www.nobel.se/economics/laureates/1973/leont
ief-autobio.html Autobiography
* http://www.biograph.comstar.ru/bank/leontev.htm
Information from www.biograph.comstar.ru
*
http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/leontief.ht
m Information from cepa.newschool.edu
*
http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/bios/Leontief.h
tml Information from www.econlib.org
* http://www.iioa.org/leontief/Life.html
Information from www.iioa.org
*
http://utip.gov.utexas.edu/web/JGarchive/1999/leon
tief.htm Article by James K. Galbraith