Richard T. Ely

Richard T. Ely
Ely around 1910, at the University of Wisconsin
Born	(1854-04-13)April 13, 1854 Ripley, New York, U.S.
Died	October 4, 1943(1943-10-04) (aged 89) Old Lyme, Connecticut, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Hill Cemetery
Education	Columbia University Heidelberg University
Academic career
Field	Political economy
Institutions	Johns Hopkins University University of Wisconsin–Madison Northwestern University
Doctoral advisor	Karl Knies
Academic advisors	Johann Bluntschli
Doctoral students	Lewis Henry Haney Alvin Hansen Edward Alsworth Ross William A. Scott Sidney Sherwood Allyn Abbott Young David Kinley
Other notable students	John R. Commons Woodrow Wilson

Richard Theodore Ely (April 13, 1854 – October 4, 1943) was an American economist, author, and leader of the Progressive movement who called for more government intervention to reform what they perceived as the injustices of capitalism, especially regarding factory conditions, compulsory education, child labor, and labor unions.

Ely is best remembered as a founder and the first Secretary of the American Economic Association, as a founder and secretary of the Christian Social Union, and as the author of a series of widely read books on the organized labor movement, socialism, and other social issues.