YEARS IN THE DEPARTMENT:   

1941-1973

RESEARCH INTEREST:

International Trade, Economic History

BIOSKETCH:

Grace Louise Beckett came to the University of Illinois in 1941, joining the faculty of the Department of Economics as an Assistant Professor. She was the second woman to become a faculty member of the Department of Economics, following Janet Weston who joined in 1934. Prior to arriving at Illinois, Professor Beckett taught for one year at Indiana Central College after completing her PhD from Ohio State University in 1939.

Her career at Illinois began with the publication of her book Reciprocal Trade Agreements Program in 1941, which received favorable reviews. Professor Beckett became a well-known scholar in International Economics and Economic History in her early career, and many professional publications broadcasted her work to economists around the globe.

During the 1960s and until her retirement in 1973, Professor Beckett primarily researched and wrote about the international commerce of the United States. The 1967 edition of “Who’s Who of American Women” recognized Beckett as one of the most famous and influential women in the country. In addition to her academic career, Professor Beckett played the violin with the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra for nearly 50 years.

After serving the University for 32 years, Professor Beckett retired from teaching in 1973. She continued to live in Champaign-Urbana for the rest of her life, playing in the University’s orchestra and serving as an Associate Professor Emeritus of Economics. Grace L. Beckett died on August 2, 1996, at the age of 83.

PHD:

Ohio State University, 1939

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

• Beckett, Grace. The Reciprocal Trade Agreements Program. New York: Columbia University Press, 1941. Print.
• Beckett, Grace. “Commerce on the Great Lakes System.” Journal of Marketing, vol. 8, no. 4, 1944, pp. 426–429. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1246166.
• Beckett, Grace. An Historical Study of Agriculture in the Seven Southern Counties of New Jersey from Early to Recent Times. , 1957. Print.
• Beckett, Grace. Reciprocal Trade Agreements Program of the United States: Analysis and Theoretical Implications, with Special Reference to the Agreement with the United Kingdom. , 1939. Print.
• Beckett, Grace L. The Relation of Inter-American Conferences to Inter-American Commercial Intercourse., 1935. Print.

OTHER LINKS/RESOURCES:

Not available

VITA:

Not available