Anna Schwartz Dies

Anna Schwartz died yesterday in Manhattan at the age of 96. She is best known for her collaboration with Milton Friedman, A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960. The book changed the way people regarded the Great Depression because it showed how far the money supply fell from 1929 to 1933.  Monetary policy went from a neglected tool by Keynesians to the dominant tool in economic policy.  Her obituary is here.

Randall Parker has an interesting book, Reflections on the Great Depression, in which he interviewed a number of famous economists who lived through the depression.  Anna Schwartz was one of the economists in the book.  Friedman's interview is also in the book.