Jacob Anton De Haas

Jacob Anton De Haas (Amsterdam, February 3, 1883 – 1963) was a Dutch-American business economist, and professor of business management and accountancy at the Nederlandsche Handels-Hoogeschool in Rotterdam from 1919 to 1921.

From 1927 on, he was professor at Harvard University for the rest of his career. He was known as an expert in international trade.

Lifecycle Youth, education and first career steps

De Haas was born in Amsterdam in 1883 as the son of Jacob de Haas and Antonia (Bemond) de Haas. He grew up in Amsterdam, where he went through primary and secondary education. For his studies he went to the United States, where he studied at Stanford and Harvard.

De Haas started his working life in 1914 as special agent for the California Commission of Immigration. From 1915 to 1917 he was deputy professor at the University of Texas, and from 1919 to 1921 he was professor of business studies and accountancy at the Nederlandsche Handels-Hoogeschool in Rotterdam.

Further career

In 1921, De Haas left for the United States, where he had received US nationality in 1917. He first became a professor at the University of Washington, and professor of foreign trade at New York University. In 1927 he received a permanent appointment as a professor at Harvard University. In addition, he was a professor at the US Naval War College from 1928.

De Haas published over the years various books on international trade, the parties involved, trading techniques and cartel formation.

Personal relations

De Haas married Hazel Gertrude Carus on December 25, 1914, who died on April 12, 1922. On December 28, 1922, he remarried with Emily Haver.

Publications

Jacob Anton De Haas. Foreign trade and shipping, New York, Alexander Hamilton institute, 1919. Jacob Anton De Haas. Foreign trade organization. 1919. De Haas, J. Anton (Jacob Anton), Business organization and administration, New York, Chicago [etc.] The Gregg publishing company, 1920. Jacob Anton De Haas. Veranderingen in de handelstechniek. 1923. Jacob Anton De Haas. The Practice of Foreign Trade: A Textbook. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Incorporated, 1935. Jacob Anton De Haas. International cartels in the postwar world. 1944.

Archives and records Jacob Anton de Hass papers at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.