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Obituaries
Prof Geoffrey Colin Harcourt AC (OW1949)
27/06/1931 - 07/12/2021
Geoff Harcourt, one of Australia’s greatest economists and hugely influential in both economics and society, was born in Hawthorn in 1931, the son of Ken and Marjorie Harcourt. He and his twin brother John (OW1948) were educated at Malvern Church of England Grammar School and Wesley College, where Geoff excelled at cricket, football and athletics and then, after a third year of Matric, the University of Melbourne where he attended Queen’s College. The brothers had different interests but were always close, and shared time with their Wesley cousins Dick Harcourt (OW1948) (dec.) and Graeme Sloman (OW1944).
Geoff really wanted to be a vet, keeping pigeons, bantams and fowls in pens in the backyard, but when the necessary subjects fell out of reach, he turned to commerce, which proved to be a choice that has impacted us all.
Following an Economics degree at the University of Melbourne, and two weeks after marrying his wife Joan at Queen’s College, he moved to the UK where he completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge. In 1958 he returned and began lecturing at the University of Adelaide, later becoming Emeritus Professor and Chair of Economics. He became Reader in Economics at Cambridge and in 1982 was appointed Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge where he was twice its President.
Influential to Geoff’s direction in economics was arriving at Kings College, Cambridge in 1955, which was the college of the most famous economist of the 20th century, John Maynard Keynes, responsible for setting up the post-WWII economic system which lasted for almost thirty years. Although Keynes had died shortly after the war, his ideas were nurtured by his disciples famously known as the ‘Keynes Circle’ who all went on to become global leaders in the field. These were Geoff’s mentors and colleagues.
Following the death of his mother in 1981 and with his father’s blessing, Geoff made the official move to Cambridge and remained there until 2010 when he returned to settle in Randwick, NSW and was appointed Honorary Professor in Economics at the University of NSW. In that year he also celebrated 55 years of marriage!
Geoff always remained connected to the OWCA. He made it back for his 60-Year reunion and in 2016, he enjoyed attending the Sesquicentenary Dinner in Sydney. He continued to go to the university every day until recent ill-health prevented him.
The long list of prestigious honours and recognition from within Australia, the UK, USA and Europe included his 1994 Order of Australia AO for service to economic theory and to the history of economic thought, and in 2018, an AC for eminent service to higher education as an academic economist and author, particularly in the fields of Post-Keynesian economics, capital theory and economic thought.
Geoff authored or co-authored more than 30 books and 400 articles over his lifetime and was the subject of an Archibald portrait submission by artist Lewis Miller in 2019. He was kind and inclusive, a sought-after guest speaker, an advocate of Human Rights and a champion of Australia’s First Nations people. He was active in challenging the Vietnam War and was a gifted thinker.
In 2013 he completed what in effect was the culmination of his life’s work – The Oxford Handbook of Post-Keynesian Economics, published in two volumes and co-edited with Peter Kriesler, UNSW, who had been his PhD student in Cambridge. As recently as 2016 he was one of the authors of four volumes of Selected Essays by Post-Keynesians from Down Under.
Geoff played cricket until he was 68, ran three miles every day for fifty years, played squash most days for at least twenty years, and took up soccer when he was 40. He cited his greatest honour ever as being a life member of the Blacks, the University of Adelaide Australian Rules Club, for whom he played over 200 games spread over twenty years. He also played Aussie Rules until he was 47.
Geoff is survived by his wife of 66 years, Joan, his daughters Wendy and Rebecca and sons Robert and Tim, their families, and his twin brother John (OW1948). His humour, warmth and love for his family will be sadly missed by us all.
Contributed by John Harcourt OAM (OW1948)