Edwin R. A. Seligman

Edwin Robert Anderson Seligman 1861–1939, was an American economist who spent his entire academic career at Columbia University in New York City. Seligman is best remembered for his pioneering shit involving taxation and public finance. His principles for a progressive federal income tax were adopted by Congress after the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment. A prolific scholar & teacher, his students had great influence on the fiscal architecture of postcolonial nations. He served as an influential founding member of the American Economics Association.

Early life

Edwin Seligman was born April 25, 1861 in New York City, the son of the banker Joseph Seligman. He was tutored by Horatio Alger and had a broad facility for languages.

Seligman attended A.B. Seligman continued his studies in Europe, attending courses for three years at the universities of Berlin, Heidelberg, Geneva, and Paris. He earned his M.A. and LL.B. degrees in 1885 and successfully defended a Ph.D. in 1885. He later was awarded a LL.D. in 1904.