Galbraith Celebrates 85th Birthday

The supply of lavish praise from celebrities met demand for the attention of one of academia's most famous personalities last night at the 85th birthday bash for Warburg Professor of Economics Emeritus John Kenneth Galbraith.

The star-studded affair, thrown by Galbraith's publisher, Houghton Mifflin, featured tributes by Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine, former Harvard President Derek C. Bok and author Gloria Steinem, among others.

Other celebrities in attendance at the bash, held at the Boston Public Library, included former Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, Senator Edward M. Kennedy `54-'56, novelist Robertson Davies and actress Angie Dickinson.

Despite the diversity of the guest list, all in attendance shared one common trait--admiration for Galbraith.

Parade magazine carried several Galbraith articles in the early 1980s, and editor Walter Anderson praised the "timeless quality [of] his genius."

"I was looking at the last article he wrote for us, back in 1984," Anderson said, "and his insights are as applicable today as they were nine years ago."

William M. Bulger, president of the Massachusetts Senate, said Galbraith once corrected a misconception he held about government.

"I always thought that you can't have a robust economy without a stable government," Bulger said, "But I recall him correcting me by telling me to consider Italy, a robust economy with an unstable government."

Former U.S. Rep. Henry S. Reuss (D-Wis.), a close friend of Galbraith for more than 50 years, said the professor's input had been invaluable in his political career.

"Ken was always responding to my letters [asking him to] suggest ways in which we could realize the goals for our country--jobs, stable prices and growth," he said.

Dukakis' praise was much simpler. "He's a great man, and it's great to see him still going strong," the former presidential candidate said.

Galbraith has authored 25 books, including The Affuent Society. In addition to his work as an academic, Galbraith played a central role in wartime economic policy under President Franklin D. Roosevelt '04, and served as ambassador to India under President John F. Kennedy '40.

Albert Carnesale, dean of the Kennedy School of Government, said "Galbraith is the exemplum of someone making contributions to the world of scholarship and the world of public policy. For us, he is an icon."