John Elliot Cairnes (1823–75), economist, was born 26 September 1823 in Castlebellingham, Co. Louth, and became Professor of political economy and jurisprudence in Queen's College Galway. Cairnes held the Galway chair until 1870, but employed a replacement to carry out his duties there from 1866 on, when he became professor of political economy at University College, London. He had already moved to Mill Hill near London in 1865. In 1860 Cairnes married Eliza Charlotte Alexander, daughter of a judge in India. He became incapacitated after a fall from a horse in earlier life was compounded by gout, resigning from his post in University College London in 1872, and dying in 1875.
Archival History ↴
Acquired by the James Hardiman Library in 1980
Immediate Source Acquisition ↴
Unknown
Content & Structure
Scope & Content: Prof. John E Cairnes ↴
Outward letter book of Professor John E Cairnes. Most of the letters were written at Mill Hill, Hendon, North West London, and refer to his business interests. Correspondents include his landlord from London, Mr. H. Baker Esq., Kilburn Gate, the Manager of the Agra & Masterson Bank, Calcutta, and officers of Queen’s College Galway.
Appraisal Destruction ↴
Permanent Retention
Accruals ↴
None expected.
Arrangement ↴
One item only – no arrangement applicable
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See Corrmac O Grada, 'James Eliot Cairnes', in Dictionary of Irish Biography, (Dublin, 2010). Walter Bagehot, obit., Economist, 17 July 1875, repr. in The works and life of Walter Bagehot, ed. Mrs Russell Barrington, iv (1915), 243–6; H. C. Lawlor, A history of the family of Cairnes . . . (1906), 132–5; R. D. C. Black, ‘Jevons and Cairnes’, Economica, xxvii (1960); T. A. Boylan and T. P. Foley, ‘John Elliott Cairnes, John Stuart Mill, and Ireland: some problems for political economy’, A. E. Murphy (ed.), Economists and the Irish economy (1984), 96–119; T. A. Boylan and T. P. Foley, ‘Cairnes, Hearn, and Bastable: the contribution of Queen's College, Galway, to economic thought’, Diarmuid Ó Cearbhaill (ed.), Galway: town & gown 1484–1984 (1985), 183–205. See also Tom Boylan and Tadhg Foley (eds.), John Eliot Cairnes: Collected Works, (London, 2004).
Notes
Note
Formerly Lamhscribhinni Breise 18.
Descriptive Control Area
Archivist Note
Kieran Hoare
Rules/Conventions
ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottawa: International Council on Archives, 2000.
