Ricardo

Ricardo, David (1772-1823), economist, was born in London of Jewish parents. His father was on the Stock Exchange, and the son, on leaving school, became his confidential assistant. His abjuration of the Jewish faith, however, and his marriage against his father's wish, led to their separation, and the younger Ricardo started as a member of the Exchange on his own account, and speedily acquired a great fortune. He began to study economics, and in 1810 wrote his first work, dealing with the depreciation of the currency. This went through several editions, and in 1817 he issued his most important work, On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, which has remained a leading authority on its subject. In 1819 he entered Parliament as member for Portarlington. His works were collected and published by McCulloch, in 1846. His name has become, rather unjustly, a sort of symbol of the "abstractdeductive" method in economics.