John C Harsanyi
Intellectuals & Academics

John C Harsanyi Net Worth

John C Harsanyi was a renowned American economist and Nobel Memorial Prize recipient, born in Budapest in 1920. He is best known for his contributions to economics, including game theory, economic reasoning in political and moral philosophy, utilitarian ethics, and the study of equilibrium selection. His game theory was intended to help public and private institutions perform better, economically and politically, and to elevate the standard of living and bring about peaceful and cooperative political systems. His dedication and hard work earned him the Nobel Prize in 1994.
John C Harsanyi is a member of Intellectuals & Academics

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Economist
Birth Day May 29, 1920
Birth Place Budapest, American
Age 100 YEARS OLD
Died On August 9, 2000(2000-08-09) (aged 80)\nBerkeley, California, USA
Birth Sign Gemini
Alma mater University of Lyon University of Budapest University of Sydney Stanford University
Known for Bayesian games Utilitarian ethics Equilibrium selection
Spouse(s) Anne Klauber
Awards Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1994) First prize in Eötvös mathematics competition John von Neumann Award
Fields Economics
Institutions University of California, Berkeley Wayne State University Australian National University University of Queensland
Doctoral advisor Kenneth Arrow
Influenced Kenneth Binmore

💰 Net worth

John C Harsanyi, a renowned economist in the American context, is projected to have a net worth ranging from $100,000 to $1 million in the year 2024. Harsanyi, known for his significant contributions to various fields of economics, has made an impact through his extensive research and influential work. With his expertise particularly in game theory and social choice theory, Harsanyi has gained recognition and respect within the academic and economic communities. As his net worth continues to accumulate, it is a testament to his successful career and accolades.

Biography/Timeline

1920

Harsanyi was born on May 29, 1920 in Budapest, Hungary, the son of Alice (Gombos) and Charles Harsanyi, a pharmacy owner. His parents converted from Judaism to Catholicism a year before he was born. He attended high school at the Lutheran Gymnasium in Budapest. In high school, he became one of the best Problem solvers of the KöMaL, the Mathematical and Physical Monthly for Secondary Schools. Founded in 1893, this periodical is generally credited with a large share of Hungarian students' success in mathematics. He also won the first prize in the Eötvös mathematics competition for high school students.

1939

Although he wanted to study mathematics and philosophy, his father sent him to France in 1939 to enroll in chemical engineering at the University of Lyon. However, because of the start of World War II, Harsanyi returned to Hungary to study pharmacology at the University of Budapest (today: Eötvös Loránd University), earning a diploma in 1944. As a pharmacology student, Harsanyi escaped conscription into the Hungarian Army which, as a person of Jewish descent, would have meant forced labor.

1944

However, in 1944 (after the fall of the Horthy regime and the seizure of power by the Arrow Cross Party) his military deferment was cancelled and he was compelled to join a forced labor unit on the Eastern Front. After seven months of forced labor, when the German authorities decided to deport his unit to a concentration camp in Austria, John Harsanyi managed to escape and found sanctuary for the rest of the war in a Jesuit house.

1947

After the end of the war, Harsanyi returned to the University of Budapest for graduate studies in philosophy and sociology, earning his Ph.D. in both subjects in 1947. Then a devout Catholic, he simultaneously studied theology, also joining lay ranks of the Dominican Order. He later abandoned Catholicism, becoming an atheist for the rest of his life. Harsanyi spent the academic year 1947–1948 on the faculty of the Institute of Sociology of the University of Budapest, where he met Anne Klauber, his Future wife. He was forced to resign the faculty because of openly expressing his anti-Marxist opinions, while Anne faced increasing peer pressure to leave him for the same reason.

1950

The two did not marry until they arrived in Australia because Klauber's immigration papers would need to be changed to reflect her married name. The two arrived with her parents on December 30, 1950, and they looked to marry immediately. Harsanyi and Klauber were married on January 2, 1951. Neither spoke much English and understood little of what they were told to say to each other. Harsanyi later explained to his new wife that she had promised to cook better food than she usually did.

1953

Harsanyi's Hungarian degrees were not recognized in Australia, but they earned him credit at the University of Sydney for a master's degree. Harsanyi worked in a factory during the day and studied economics in the evening at the University of Sydney, finishing with a M.A. in 1953. While studying in Sydney, he started publishing research papers in economic journals, including the Journal of Political Economy and the Review of Economic Studies. The degree allowed him to take a teaching position in 1954 at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. While in Brisbane, Harsanyi's wife became a fashion designer for a small factory.

1956

In 1956, Harsanyi received a Rockefeller scholarship that enabled him and Anne to spend the next two years in the United States, at Stanford University and, for a semester, at the Cowles Foundation. At Stanford Harsanyi wrote a dissertation in game theory under the supervision of Kenneth Arrow, earning a second PhD in economics in 1959, while Anne earned an MA in psychology. Harsanyi's student visa expired in 1958 and the two returned to Australia.

1961

After working for a short time as a researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra, Harsanyi became frustrated with the lack of interest in game theory in Australia. With the help of Kenneth Arrow and James Tobin, he was able to move to the United States, taking a position as professor of economics at the Wayne State University in Detroit between 1961 and 1963. In 1964, he moved to Berkeley, California; he remained at the University of California, Berkeley until retiring in 1990. Shortly after arriving in Berkeley, he and Anne had a child, Tom. While teaching at Berkeley, Harsanyi did extensive research in game theory. From 1966 to 1968, Harsanyi was part of a team of game theorists tasked with advising the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency in collaboration with Mathematica, a consulting group from Princeton University led by Harold Kuhn and Oskar Morgenstern.

1994

He is best known for his contributions to the study of game theory and its application to economics, specifically for his developing the highly innovative analysis of games of incomplete information, so-called Bayesian games. He also made important contributions to the use of game theory and economic reasoning in political and moral philosophy (specifically utilitarian ethics) as well as contributing to the study of equilibrium selection. For his work, he was a co-recipient along with John Nash and Reinhard Selten of the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. According to György Marx he was one of The Martians.

2000

John Harsanyi died on August 9, 2000, from a heart attack in Berkeley, California, after he suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

Some John C Harsanyi images

About the author

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As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.