Photo: United States Department of Treasury / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Lawrence Summers

ローレンス・サマーズ　/　ろーれんす・さまーず

American economist

November 30, 1954 (age 71)　・　New Haven, Connecticut, United States

Connecticut
economist
university teacher
professor

My Take

Lawrence Summers interests me as the rare economist who keeps walking into rooms where economists usually fear to tread. Treasury Secretary, Harvard president, National Economic Council director — each role demands a different kind of armor, and he wore them all while staying recognizably himself: brilliant, blunt, and allergic to consensus for its own sake. The John Bates Clark Medal confirmed his analytical firepower early, but what I respect more is his willingness to be publicly wrong rather than privately cautious. He generates controversy the way some people generate small talk, yet American economic debate would be thinner without him. To me, that trade-off is worth defending.

Overview

Lawrence Henry Summers (born November 30, 1954) is an American economist. He served as the 71st United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1999 to 2001, the 27th president of Harvard University from 2001 to 2006, and the eighth director of the National Economic Council from 2009 to 2010. He was the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard Kennedy School until his resignation in February 2026.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): Lawrence Summers
Name (Japanese): ローレンス・サマーズ
Reading: ろーれんす・さまーず
Born: November 30, 1954 (age 71)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Sagittarius / Horse
Origin: New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: economist / university teacher / professor / scientist / politician

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Harriton High School
University: Harvard University

Awards & achievements

1993 John Bates Clark Medal
2009 Adam Smith Award
1987 Alan T. Waterman Award
2000 Golden Plate Award
2011 Global Economy Prize
1985 Fellow of the Econometric Society
1987 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2007 honorary doctor of Harvard University

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

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