John Maynard Keynes

1883- 1946

British Economist

British economist John Maynard Keynes was born and educated in Cambridge. He served the British treasury as an advisor from 1915-19 and was the chief British financial representative to the Paris Peace Conference that followed World War I. He resigned, however, in response to the harsh terms imposed on the Germans.

Keynes represented Great Britain at the Bretton Woods Conference (1944-45), and was actively involved in the resulting creation of the International Monetary Fund and what would later become the World Bank.

Keynes was also a patron of the arts, financing the establishment of the Arts Council in Great Briatin. Keynes' theories in economics suggested that increased government spending would help fight a recession. His theories revolutionized economics and became known as Keynesian Economics.