Eveline M. Burns
Encyclopedia
Eveline Mabel Richardson Burns (March 16, 1900–September 2, 1985) was a British-American economist, writer and instructor.
Born Eveline Mabel Richardson in London
, England
, she was the only child of Eveline Maud Falkner and Frederick Haig Richardson. Her mother died following her birth, so her father remarried and had three more children. Eveline attended Seatham Secondary School, then entered the London School of Economics
at age 16 and graduated in 1920, earning a B.S. with first class honors. In 1922 she married the economist Arthur Robert Burns and the couple emigrated to the United States
. After the award of her Ph.D. in 1926, she gained a Laura Spelman Rockefeller Fellowship. She and her husband traveled the country for two years while writing The Economic World.
She became professor of Social Work at Columbia University
in 1928. In 1933, during the Great Depression
, she returned to England in 1933 to study unemployment programs. In 1934, as a member of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
's Committee on Economic Security, she helped design the US Social Security Act of 1935. During the following years she served with the American Association for Social Security, the Social Welfare Committee of the YWCA and the Executive Board of the Women's Club of New York. From 1939–1943 she was head of the economic security and health section of the National Resources Planning Board. In the 1940s, she was the Anna Shaw Lecturer at Bryn Mawr College
and a professor at Columbia.
From 1953–1954 she was vice-president and president of the American Economic Association
. In 1954 she was awarded the Adam Smith Medal for outstanding economic research. The same year she received a Guggenheim Fellowship
. Between 1950–1958, she held various posts in the National Conference on Social Welfare. In 1968 she was given the Blanche Ittelson Award.
During her career she published multiple works on social welfare. She died at St. Mary's Hospital in Newton, Pennsylvania
. Arthur and Eveline did not have any children.
Born Eveline Mabel Richardson in London
London
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...
, she was the only child of Eveline Maud Falkner and Frederick Haig Richardson. Her mother died following her birth, so her father remarried and had three more children. Eveline attended Seatham Secondary School, then entered the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
at age 16 and graduated in 1920, earning a B.S. with first class honors. In 1922 she married the economist Arthur Robert Burns and the couple emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. After the award of her Ph.D. in 1926, she gained a Laura Spelman Rockefeller Fellowship. She and her husband traveled the country for two years while writing The Economic World.
She became professor of Social Work at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1928. In 1933, during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, she returned to England in 1933 to study unemployment programs. In 1934, as a member of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's Committee on Economic Security, she helped design the US Social Security Act of 1935. During the following years she served with the American Association for Social Security, the Social Welfare Committee of the YWCA and the Executive Board of the Women's Club of New York. From 1939–1943 she was head of the economic security and health section of the National Resources Planning Board. In the 1940s, she was the Anna Shaw Lecturer at Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
and a professor at Columbia.
From 1953–1954 she was vice-president and president of the American Economic Association
American Economic Association
The American Economic Association, or AEA, is a learned society in the field of economics, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. It publishes one of the most prestigious academic journals in economics: the American Economic Review...
. In 1954 she was awarded the Adam Smith Medal for outstanding economic research. The same year she received a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
. Between 1950–1958, she held various posts in the National Conference on Social Welfare. In 1968 she was given the Blanche Ittelson Award.
During her career she published multiple works on social welfare. She died at St. Mary's Hospital in Newton, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Arthur and Eveline did not have any children.