George Stigler was the quintessential practical economist. Looking through his classic book The Theory of Price, one is in awe by how many principles of economics are illustrated with real data rather than hypothetical, made up examples. A professor at the University of Chicago, Stigler went on to win the Nobel Prize in economics in 1982. Although deceased Stigler deserves, probably more than any other economist, credit for getting economists to look at real data and evidence, as opposed to fictional statistics.
             Born in Seattle on January 17, 1911 Stigler was the only child of Joseph and Elizabeth Stigler, both immigrants who came to America; his father from Bavaria and his mother from Austria-Hungary. Stigler went to public schools as a child, and eventually attended college at the University of Washington in Seattle, receiving a B.A. in 1931. After graduating he applied for, and received, a fellowship for graduate study in the business school of Northwestern University, receiving his MBA in 1932 (nap.edu/gstigler). It was here at Northwestern that he decided on pursuing a career in economics. He returned to the University of Washington for one more year of graduate study, and then was awarded a scholarship to study economics at the University of Chicago. Stigler enjoyed the intellectual and scholarly atmosphere there, and so Chicago became his home-as a student from 1933 to 1936 and as a professor from 1958 until his death in 1991. In 1936 Stigler became married to Margaret Mack. Stigler and Margaret had three sons: Stephen, a professor of statistics at the University of Chicago; Joseph, a businessman; and David, a corporate lawyer. The family suffered a tragic loss in 1970, when Margaret died unexpectedly, without any warning. Stigler was devastated and never remarried (nobel.se/economics).
             At Chicago, Stigler became involved with many activities. He was an editor of the Journal of Political Economy; established the Industrial ...