Photo: Attributed to Alexis Simon Belle / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
John Law, the Scottish-French economist who lived from 1671 to 1729, is one of history's most instructive cautionary tales. He talked his way to the top of French finance and built Law's System around his bank and his company, an early experiment in paper money to revive a struggling economy. Then the Mississippi bubble inflated and burst spectacularly, one of the first great financial crashes the world had seen. What gets me every time is that a textbook figure was, at heart, such a gambler. He embodies the light and the shadow of financial innovation in a single life. Brilliant, reckless, and unforgettable.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- John Law
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョン・ロー
- Reading
- じょん・ろー
- Born
- April 21, 1671 – March 21, 1729
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Boar
- Origin
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Occupation
- economist / financier / statistician / bretteur / finance minister
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was John Law born?
April 21, 1671 – March 21, 1729.
Where is John Law from?
John Law is from Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
What does John Law do?
John Law works as economist, financier, statistician, bretteur, finance minister.
Economist — see all → · Financier — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.