Adam Smith

AKA:
The Father of Economics
Birth Name:
Adam Smith
Birth Date:
June 16, 1723
Birth Place:
Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland
Death Date:
July 17, 1790
Place of Death:
Panmure House, Edinburgh, Scotland
Age:
67
Cause of Death:
Decay
Cemetery Name:
Canongate Kirkyard
Claim to Fame:
Business and Finance
Adam Smith, a graduate of the University of Glasgow and at Balliol College, Oxford, was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Also known as "The Father of Economics" or "The Father of Capitalism" he wrote two classic works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776). The latter, often abbreviated as The Wealth of Nations, is considered his magnum opus and the first modern work of economics. Upon his death, he was laid to rest at Canongate Kirkyard in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Fun Fact

Adam Smith has been described as someone who “had a large nose, bulging eyes, a protruding lower lip, a nervous twitch, and a speech impediment”. Smith is said to have acknowledged his looks at one point, saying, “I am a beau in nothing but my books.” Therefore Smith rarely sat for portraits and so almost all depictions of him created during his lifetime were drawn from memory.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Canongate Kirkyard

153 Canongate

Edinburgh, , EH8 8BN

Scotland

Europe

Map:

Cemetery map of Canongate Kirkyard in Edinburgh Scotland

Grave Location:

Adam Smith Crypt

Grave Location Description

Across the street from the Edinburgh Museum is the entrance to the Canongate Kirk (Presbyterian Church). Standing in front of the church look to your left and walk 50 feet to the crypt of the Father of Economics, Adam Smith.

Grave Location GPS

55.95158763731476, -3.179891535719773

Photos:

[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]
[+]

FAQ's

Adam Smith was born on June 16, 1723.

Adam Smith was born in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland.

Adam Smith died on July 17, 1790.

Adam Smith died in Panmure House, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Adam Smith was 67.

The cause of death was Decay.

Adam Smith's grave is in Canongate Kirkyard

Read More About Adam Smith:

Videos Featuring Adam Smith:

See More:

Andrew Carnegie

popular name: Andrew Carnegie

date_of_death: August 11, 1919

age: 83

cause_of_death: Bronchial Pneumonia

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist who played a pivotal role in the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century. Born on November 25, 1835, in Dunfermline, Scotland, Carnegie emigrated to the United States with his family in 1848, settling in Pennsylvania. Starting as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory, he quickly rose through the ranks of the business world, eventually founding the Carnegie Steel Company, which became the largest and most profitable industrial enterprise of its time. After selling his company to J.P. Morgan in 1901 for $480 million (equivalent to billions today), Carnegie devoted the rest of his life to philanthropy. He believed in the "Gospel of Wealth," the idea that the rich have a moral obligation to use their wealth for the betterment of society. Carnegie donated over $350 million during his lifetime to causes such as libraries, education, and peace initiatives. He died on August 11, 1919, leaving behind a legacy as one of the richest men in history and one of its most generous philanthropists. Upon his death, Andrew Carnegie was laid to rest at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Tom Carvel

popular name: Tom Carvel

date_of_death: October 21, 1990

age: 84

cause_of_death: Heart attack

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Tom Carvel was the creator of soft serve ice cream and one of the founding fathers of the franchise system in America. Carvel, a Greek immigrant, had been an auto mechanic in New York, then worked on refrigeration units for the U.S. Army, which led to him driving an ice cream truck in Westchester County, N.Y. The story goes that in the early 1930s, his truck got a flat tire on a hot day. Instead of wasting the ice cream in the back, he pulled into a parking lot and started selling it as it became soft. His newfound customers loved it, and he had an epiphany that soft ice cream could be a good business. A self-made success story, his name is synonymous with the product he created—soft-serve ice cream. He was also the first chief executive officer of a company who served as his own spokesperson/commercial announcer for radio and television. He proved that movie-star looks and a professional “announcing voice” were not necessary for building product sales. Carvel’s gravelly voice did just fine in creating effective commercials. “Thinny thin ice cream for your fatty fat friends” may perhaps be the most memorable (if not most offensive) of his ad lines. Those humble beginnings eventually grew into the Carvel ice cream chain with 850 locations and a fortune conservatively estimated at around $80 million at the time of his death. Soon after the legal fighting started and it hasn’t stopped yet.

David Sarnoff

popular name: David Sarnoff

date_of_death: December 12, 1971

age: 80

cause_of_death: Mastoid infection

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: David Sarnoff was an American businessman and pioneer of American radio and television. Throughout most of his career he led the Radio Corporation of America in various capacities from shortly after its founding in 1919 until his retirement in 1970. It all began in 1920 when Sarnoff reiterated his “radio music box” memo and was given a small amount of money to develop a radio prototype. As RCA’s new general manager, he demonstrated radio’s market potential by broadcasting the boxing match between Jack Dempsey and Georges Carpentier (July 2, 1921); the broadcast created a sensation. Within three years RCA sold more than $80 million worth of receiving sets. In 1926 RCA formed the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). As early as 1923, Sarnoff had perceived the potential of television, which the contributions of several inventors were making technically feasible. His meeting in 1929 with Westinghouse engineer Vladimir Zworykin convinced him that home television was possible, and Sarnoff persuaded Westinghouse to back Zworykin’s work. In 1930 Westinghouse’s television research and Zworykin were transferred to RCA. By 1939 Sarnoff was able to give a successful demonstration of the new medium at the New York World’s Fair. And as they say ... the rest is history. Upon his death, he was laid to rest at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York.

Back to Top