Donald J. Harris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donald Harris
OM
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Harris in 1974
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Donald Jasper Harris
August 23, 1938 Brown's Town, Colony of Jamaica
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| Education | University College of the West Indies (BA) University of California, Berkeley (PhD) |
| Spouse(s) |
Carol Kirlew |
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| Relatives | Harris family |
| Scientific career | |
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| Thesis | Inflation, Capital Accumulation and Economic Growth : A Theoretical and Numerical Analysis (1966) |
| Doctoral advisor | Daniel McFadden |
| Doctoral students |
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Donald Jasper Harris (born August 23, 1938) is a Jamaican-American economist. He is a retired professor from Stanford University. He is well-known for using post-Keynesian ideas in the field of development economics.
He was a tenured professor in Stanford's Department of Economics. Donald Harris is also the father of Kamala Harris. She is the 49th Vice President of the United States. She was also the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee. His other daughter is Maya Harris, a lawyer and writer.
Harris grew up in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica. He earned his first degree from the University of the West Indies. Later, he received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. He taught at several universities before joining Stanford University.
His 1978 book, Capital Accumulation and Income Distribution, looked at economic theories. It suggested new ways to understand how money and wealth affect income inequality and economic growth. He has also worked a lot on Jamaica's economy. He advised the government and prime ministers there. In 2021, he received Jamaica's Order of Merit. This is a high national honor for his work in national development.
Early Life and Education
Donald Jasper Harris was born in Brown's Town, Jamaica. His parents were Oscar Joseph Harris and Beryl Christie Harris. They were Afro-Jamaicans. As a child, he was involved with the Anglican Church.
Harris grew up in the Orange Hill area of Saint Ann Parish. He went to Titchfield High School. In 1960, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He got this from the University of the West Indies. In 1966, he completed his PhD. This was from the University of California, Berkeley. His PhD paper was about inflation and economic growth.
Career Highlights
Harris started his career as an assistant professor. He taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (1966–1967). Then he moved to Northwestern University (1967–1968). In 1968, he became an associate professor. This was at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
In 1972, he joined Stanford University. He became a professor of economics there. He was the first black scholar to get tenure in Stanford's Economics Department. He also visited other universities. These included Cambridge University and Yale University.
Harris was a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil and Mexico. He also directed a graduate school in the University of the West Indies. In 1998, he retired from Stanford. He became a professor emeritus.
At Stanford, he taught about economic development. He also helped create a new program for studying economics. He retired early to focus on public policies. He wanted to help economies grow and make society fairer.
Personal Life
Donald Harris met Shyamala Gopalan at a student meeting. She was a graduate student from India. They married in July 1963.
Harris and Shyamala had two daughters. Their first daughter is Kamala Harris. She is the current Vice President of the United States. Their second daughter is Maya Harris. She is a lawyer and writer. Donald and Shyamala divorced in 1971.
His daughters visited his family in Jamaica as they grew up. Harris dedicated his 1978 book to his daughters. He prefers to live a private life. He rarely gives interviews, even with his daughters' fame. Kamala Harris has said her relationship with her father is friendly but not very close. This is because her mother raised her.
Harris became a naturalized U.S. citizen before 2015. He lives in Washington, D.C. In the 1990s, he married Carol Kirlew. She is a Jamaican-American who worked for the World Bank.
