Professor Charles P. Issawi, Middle East scholar, dies

Charles P. Issawi , economist and historian, public servant and scholar who was Bayard E. Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies emeritus at Princeton University, died Friday, Dec. 8 at his home in Pennswood Village, Pa. He was 84.

Born in Cairo in 1916 to Greek Orthodox, Syrian parents, he was educated at Victoria College, Alexandria, and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read philosophy, politics and economics and specialized in economics. His public career began with his appointment to the Egyptian Ministry of Finance (1937-1938) and he later became chief of research at the National Bank of Egypt (1938-1943). He also served briefly at the Arab Office in Washington and then joined the United Nations' secretariat in the Middle East Unit of the Department of Economic Affairs (1948-1955).

His teaching career began at the American University of Beirut (1943-1947). In 1951, he joined Columbia University and was named Ragnar Nurkse Professor of Economics. He subsequently was appointed director of Columbia's Near and Middle East Institute. In 1975, Professor Issawi moved to Princeton University as Bayard E. Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies, a position he held until his retirement in 1986. From 1987 to 1991, he served as a visiting professor at New York University.

Contact: Justin Harmon (609) 258-3601