George Whatley

George Whatley, Esq, was a contemporary, friend and correspondent of Benjamin Franklin, Vice-President (1772-1779) and Treasurer (1779-1791) of the Foundling Hospital in London, [Benedict Nicolson, "The Treasures of the Foundling Hospital," Clarendon Press, 1972, p. 60.] author of Principles of Trade, published in 1774, which expounded the benefits of laissez faire economics, also known as free trade. Some sources claim Franklin co-authored the book with Whatley, while Franklin gives full credit to Whatley. [http://books.google.com/books?id=VTb8HSV7okIC&pg=PA137&lpg=PA137] However, according to historian Jared Sparks in his book The works of Benjamin Franklin, 1840, Sparks gives Franklin credit for the notes which are in the view of noted economist Jacob Viner, superior to the text, see footnote 97 for chapter 2, Studies in the Theory of International Trade, [http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:HeLMa9d2u6cJ:www.econlib.org/LIBRARY/NPDBooks/Viner/vnSTTNotes.html+george+whatley+principles+of+trade&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=11&gl=us] [cite journal | author = Jacob Viner | title = Early English Theories of Trade | year = 1930 | journal = Journal of Political Economy | pages = 404-457] .

Whatley's portrait by an unknown painter is part of the Foundling Hospital art collection and can today bee seen in the Picture Gallery at the Foundling Museum. [Nicolson, "Treasures of the Foundling Hospital," p. 60.]

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