Emma Georgina Rothschild
Encyclopedia
Emma Georgina Rothschild, CMG
(born May 16, 1948) is a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of England
. She is presently British
economic historian
and professor
at Harvard University
.
, England
, the daughter of Victor Rothschild
(1910–1990) and his second wife, Teresa Georgina Rothschild (née Mayor; 1915–1996). On her father's side, she descends from the Rothschild family
. Her maternal grandfather, Robert John Grote Mayor, was the brother of English novelist F. M. Mayor
and a greatnephew of philosopher and clergyman John Grote
. Her maternal grandmother, Katherine Beatrice Meinertzhagen, was the sister of soldier Richard Meinertzhagen
and the niece of author Beatrice Webb
. She is the sister of Amschel Mayor James Rothschild
and the half-sister of Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
. At the age of 15, she became the youngest woman ever admitted to Somerville College, Oxford
University, from which she graduated with a BA
in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1967. She was a Kennedy Scholar in Economics
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT).
From 1978 to 1988, she was an associate professor at MIT in the Department of Humanities and the Program on Science, Technology, and Society and also taught at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
in Paris
, France
.
In 1991, Rothschild married economist and Nobel laureate, Amartya Kumar Sen
.
In recognition of her services to Britain's international cultural and academic relations, the New Year Honours 2000
made Rothschild a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
.
A fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge
, currently Rothschild is a Professor of History at Harvard University
. She is a co-director of the Centre for History and Economics, Magdalene College, Cambridge, and the director of its counterpart, the Center for History and Economics, Harvard University.
Rothschild sits on the Board of Directors of the United Nations Foundation
.
Rothschild also serves as a trustee of The Rothschild Archive, the international centre in London for research into the history of the Rothschild family.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(born May 16, 1948) is a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of England
Rothschild banking family of England
The Rothschild banking family of England was founded in 1798 by Nathan Mayer von Rothschild who first settled in Manchester but then moved to London. Nathan was sent there from his home in Frankfurt by his father, Mayer Amschel Rothschild...
. She is presently British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
economic historian
Economic history
Economic history is the study of economies or economic phenomena in the past. Analysis in economic history is undertaken using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and by applying economic theory to historical situations and institutions...
and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Early life to the present
Rothschild was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the daughter of Victor Rothschild
Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild
Nathaniel Mayer Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild, GBE, GM, FRS was a biologist by training, a cricketer and a member of the prominent Rothschild family...
(1910–1990) and his second wife, Teresa Georgina Rothschild (née Mayor; 1915–1996). On her father's side, she descends from the Rothschild family
Rothschild family
The Rothschild family , known as The House of Rothschild, or more simply as the Rothschilds, is a Jewish-German family that established European banking and finance houses starting in the late 18th century...
. Her maternal grandfather, Robert John Grote Mayor, was the brother of English novelist F. M. Mayor
F. M. Mayor
Flora Macdonald Mayor , was an English novelist and short story writer who published under the name F. M...
and a greatnephew of philosopher and clergyman John Grote
John Grote
John Grote was an English moral philosopher and Anglican clergyman.The son of a banker, Grote was younger brother to the historian, philosopher and reformer George Grote...
. Her maternal grandmother, Katherine Beatrice Meinertzhagen, was the sister of soldier Richard Meinertzhagen
Richard Meinertzhagen
Colonel Richard Henry Meinertzhagen CBE DSO was a British soldier, intelligence officer and ornithologist.- Background and youth :Meinertzhagen was born into a socially connected, wealthy British family...
and the niece of author Beatrice Webb
Beatrice Webb
Martha Beatrice Webb, Lady Passfield was an English sociologist, economist, socialist and social reformer. Although her husband became Baron Passfield in 1929, she refused to be known as Lady Passfield...
. She is the sister of Amschel Mayor James Rothschild
Amschel Mayor James Rothschild
Amschel Mayor James Rothschild was a businessman.Rothschild was born in Paris, the youngest child of Victor Rothschild and his second wife, Teresa Georgina Rothschild . On his father's side, he descended from the Rothschild family. His maternal grandfather, Robert John Grote Mayor, was the brother...
and the half-sister of Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, Bt, OM, GBE, FBA is a British investment banker and a member of the prominent Rothschild family of bankers...
. At the age of 15, she became the youngest woman ever admitted to Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there...
University, from which she graduated with a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1967. She was a Kennedy Scholar in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT).
From 1978 to 1988, she was an associate professor at MIT in the Department of Humanities and the Program on Science, Technology, and Society and also taught at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 1991, Rothschild married economist and Nobel laureate, Amartya Kumar Sen
Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen, CH is an Indian economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory, and for his interest in the problems of society's poorest members...
.
In recognition of her services to Britain's international cultural and academic relations, the New Year Honours 2000
New Year Honours 2000
The New Year Honours 2000 for the United Kingdom were announced on 31 December 1999, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2000. The Honours list is a list of people who have been awarded one of the various orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom...
made Rothschild a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
.
A fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
, currently Rothschild is a Professor of History at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. She is a co-director of the Centre for History and Economics, Magdalene College, Cambridge, and the director of its counterpart, the Center for History and Economics, Harvard University.
Rothschild sits on the Board of Directors of the United Nations Foundation
United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation started up in 1998 with a $1 billion grant from Ted Turner in order to support the United Nations in executing its programs worldwide. The creation of the Foundation was intended to encourage other donors to also support the UN in its activities...
.
Rothschild also serves as a trustee of The Rothschild Archive, the international centre in London for research into the history of the Rothschild family.
Publications
She has written extensively on economic history and the history of economic thought. Some of her publications include:- Paradise Lost: The Decline of the Auto-Industrial Age (1973)
- Common Security and Civil Society in Africa (1999) (Co-Editor)
- Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet and the Enlightenment (2001)
- Language and Empire, circa 1800 (Historical Research, 2005)
- A Horrible Tragedy in the French Atlantic (Past and Present, 2006)
- The Inner Life of Empires: An Eighteenth-Century History (2011)