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:

Sumner Redstone

popular name: Sumner Redstone

date_of_death: August 11, 2020

age: 96

cause_of_death: Natural causes

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Redstone was born in a Boston tenement to a father who changed the family name from Rothstein to Redstone and built a regional movie-theater chain. After a short career as an attorney (he graduated from Harvard and Harvard Law), Redstone joined his father's company, National Amusements, in 1954. He became CEO in 1967 and steadily grew the company with profitable investments in studios. Sumner was the founder and chairman of the second incarnation of Viacom which was dissolved in 2019 (a year before Redstone's death) and was the majority owner and chairman of the National Amusements theater chain. Through National Amusements, Redstone, up until his death, was, and his family remains, majority voting shareholder of mass media conglomerate ViacomCBS, in turn, the parent company of the Paramount Pictures film studio, the CBS television network, and various cable networks. According to Forbes, as of April 2020, he was worth US$2.6 billion.

Nina Ricci

popular name: Nina Ricci

date_of_death: November 28, 1970

age: 87

cause_of_death: Natural causes

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Mme. Ricci, who established her design house in 1932 and built a reputation before World War II for graceful, detailed and feminine clothes, was born in Turin, Italy. A near‐con temporary of Gabrielle Chanel, Mme. Ricci was almost the antithesis of the better‐known “Coco” Chanel, since she was neither a public personality nor a headline‐making designer. Her interest in fashion began in childhood, when she began dressing her dolls. At 13, she came to Paris and found work as a sewing girl, and after five years was promoted to the head of the workroom. At 22, she began designing her own models. The House of Nina Ricci grew rapidly throughout the thirties and their one-room maison de couture became 11 floors in 3 buildings, operations developed by WWII to include leather goods and fashion accessories. She was noted for the graceful draping of her designs, and for her practice of creating her designs on a live model— draping, arranging and cutting until she achieved the desired look.

Rowland H. Macy

popular name: Rowland H. Macy

date_of_death: March 29, 1877

age: 54

cause_of_death: Bright's disease (kidney failure)

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Rowland H. Macy (1822–1877) was an American businessman best known as the founder of Macy’s department store. Born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, he began his career at sea as a whaler before turning to retail. Macy opened a series of small shops, most of which failed, before achieving success with his New York City store, R.H. Macy & Co., founded in 1858 on Sixth Avenue. His innovative business practices—such as fixed prices, cash sales (no credit), and extensive advertising—helped revolutionize retail and set the foundation for the modern department store. Macy’s business thrived, and his store became a landmark of American consumer culture. Rowland H. Macy died in 1877 in Paris, France, reportedly of Bright’s disease (a kidney ailment). After his death, his store continued to grow under Isidor and Nathan Straus, eventually becoming one of the largest and most iconic retail chains in the world. Today visitors can view the grave of Rowland Macy at the historic Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York

Back to Top