John McVickar

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Rev. John McVickar, 1787-1868.

Conservative American Episcopalian clergyman from New York, the first professor of political economy at Columbia, one of the first in the United States.

John McVickar was an Episcopalian minister, and an alumnus of Columbia. Politically a Federalist, and a disciple of Hamilton, McVickar was nonetheless a convert to the economics of Ricardo and the "British" school of free trade.

John McVickar was appointed in 1817 as professor of moral philosophy, rhetoric and belles lettres at Columbia College . He took responsibility for part of the generic final year course on moral and political philosophy commonly given by the college president. "Political economy" was added to his title in 1826, when it was decided that the final year course should include some economics lectures. Although welcomed by McVickar, it was not his main interest. McVickar was devoted to the traditional classical curriculum, and taught everything - classics, theology, rhetoric & belles lettres, and ethics, history and economics in the final year.

McVickar was reasonably well-acquainted with the British Ricardian economists and drew from them extensively. His early economic texts (1825, 1826) were just annotated reprints of J.R. McCulloch's articles from Britannica. The extensive introduction and notes by McVickar contain some observations critical of Ricardian doctrines and make adjustments for the case of America.. In his anonymous 1827 treatise on banking, McVickar denounced the "monopolies" of bank charters and advocated a "free banking" system for the United States, presaging the Jacksonian reaction in the 1830s..

McVickar maintained his heavy teaching load at Columbia for the next forty years, until 1857, when Columbia decided to expand the economics offering. Advancing in age, and already feeling himself drawn too thin, McVickar's responsibilities were split. He yielded the economics and history lectures to a new professor Francis Lieber, and other courses to other lecturers, confining himself to theology until his final retirement in 1864.

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Major Works of John McVickar

Outlines of Political Economy, 1825 [bk] (reprint of McCulloch)
Interest Made Equity, 1826 [bk] (reprint of McCulloch)
[Anon.] Hints on Banking, in a letter to a gentleman in Albany, by a New Yorker 1827
[Anon] Considerations Upon the Expediency of Abolishing Damages on Protested Bills of Exchange: And the effect of establishing a reciprocal exchange with Europe, 1829 [bk]
Introductory Lecture to a course of Political Economy, recently delivered at Columbia College, New York, 1830
Tribute to the Memory of Sir Walter Scott, Baronet, 1833 [bk]
The Early Years of the Late Bishop Hobart, 1836 [bk], and The Professional Years of John Hobart, 1836 [bk], [1838 joint ed]
["An American"] Essay upon the Principles of Political Economy: Designed as a manual for practical men, 1837 [bk]
First Lessons Political Economy, for the use of primary and common schools, 1837 [bk] [1846 ed]

HET

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Resources on John McVickar

In Memoriam Rev. John McVickar, S.T.D., 1868 [av]
The Life of the Reverend John McVickar, S. T. D.: Professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy, Belles-lettres, Political Economy, and the Evidences, in Columbia College by W.A. McVickar, 1872 [bk, av]
"McVickar, J", 1888, Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography
"McVickar, J.", 1896, National Cyclopedia of American Biography, v.6

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