Jan De Vries

Jan de Vries was born in the Netherlands during WWII, emigrated with his parents to the United States at the age of four, and was raised in Minnesota. He was educated at Columbia (AB, 1965) and Yale (PhD 1970) Universities. His research interests in economic history have ranged from European agrarian history and regulated industries in preindustrial Europe to historical demography and urbanization, environmental and climate history, and, most recently to the history of consumer behavior.

De Vries is professor of history and economics, emeritus, at the University of California at Berkeley where, in addition to his academic pursuits, he has served as dean and vice provost. He is the 2000 recipient of the A.H. Heineken Prize in History.