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Searching for a ‘First-Class Man’: The Appointment of the Inaugural Ritchie Professor of Economics

This paper recalls the extraordinary lengths to which the University of Melbourne went to fill one of its most prized and ambitious endowments – the Ritchie Chair in economic research. Following a rebuff from an eminent English economist, an international head-hunt was conducted by two committees. While there was some interest in the names put forward, it was D.B Copland who rather unselfishly solved the problem by suggested a local enigmatic figure who had been initially overlooked. The subsequent appointment proved a wise one and reflected well upon the man who initially suggested it.