Jacques Rueff
Life and Work
- 23. August 1896
in Paris - 23. April 1978
- Generation 4
Stations
- 1896Birth
Born on 23 August 1896 in Paris.
- 1914–1918First World War— approximate
Artillery officer in the First World War; from 1917, liaison officer to the First American Army Division (an associate of Colonel Alexander Patch).[1]
- 1919Research on Hyperinflation— inferred
After the First World War, he demonstrated in the hyperinflation countries France, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria that the money supplies issued by the central banks had been used primarily to finance budget deficits.
- 1919–1923Studies at the École Polytechnique and Sciences Po— approximate
Studied at the École Polytechnique (class X1919S, for war veterans) and at the École libre des sciences politiques.[1]
- 1923Inspecteur des Finances— approximate
Joined the Corps des Inspecteurs des Finances; in the 1920s, an associate of Raymond Poincaré.[1]
- 1927<em>Théorie des phénomènes monétaires</em>— inferred
Publication of the monetary-theory work <em>Théorie des phénomènes monétaires</em> (Theory of Monetary Phenomena) and research on hyperinflation in France, Italy, Germany, Poland, and Austria.
- 1936–1939Director of the French Treasury
From 1936 to 1939, Directeur du Mouvement général des Fonds (today the Direction du Trésor) at the French Ministry of Finance, under the Popular Front government.[1]
- 1939–1941Deputy Governor of the Banque de France
Appointed second Sous-Gouverneur (Deputy Governor) of the Banque de France on 8 September 1939; resigned on 22 January 1941.[1]
- 1948Member of the Mont Pèlerin Society
Member of the Mont Pèlerin Society, initiated by Friedrich August von Hayek.
- 1949–1950Minister of State of Monaco
Minister of State (Ministre d'État) of the Principality of Monaco from 12 July 1949 to 1 August 1950, under Prince Rainier III.[1]
- 1952–1962Judge at the European Court of Justice
Judge at the European Court of Justice (ECSC, later EEC) from 1952 to 1962.[1]
- 1958–1960Stabilisation of the French currency under De Gaulle
Under President Charles de Gaulle after the Second World War, he initiated the stabilisation of the French currency.
- 1964Election to the Académie française
Elected to the Académie française in 1964, to seat no. 31 (succeeding Jean Cocteau); later Chancellor of the Institut de France.[2]
- 1971"Die Währungssünden der westlichen Welt" (The Monetary Sins of the Western World)
Publication of "Die Währungssünden der westlichen Welt" (The Monetary Sins of the Western World; French 1971); a plea for the return to the gold standard and an engagement with Keynes.
- 1978Death
Died on 23 April 1978 in Paris.
Influences
- 1919–1923Clément Colson(1853–1939) · Französische Ingenieurökonomie
At the École Polytechnique a student of Clément Colson, who had a deep influence on Rueff's economic thought (mathematical economics, classical tradition).[1]
- 1921Léon Walras(1834–1910) · Lausanner Schule
Walras' Schriften inspirierten Rueff 1921 in seinem letzten Polytechnique-Jahr zur ökonomischen Forschung – Werk-Einfluss ohne persönliche Begegnung (Walras starb 1910).[1]
- 1958–1968Charles de Gaulle(1890–1970)
Adviser to Charles de Gaulle from 1958; architect of the Pinay-Rueff plan for stabilising the franc (17% devaluation, restoration of convertibility, balanced budget).[3]
- —John Maynard Keynes(1883–1946) · Cambridge School
Always a resolute opponent of the ideas of John Maynard Keynes; a strong advocate of a return to the gold standard.
- 1948
Belonged to the Mont Pèlerin Society initiated by Hayek; joined in 1948.
- 1958–1960Antoine Pinay(1891–1994)
Joint Pinay-Rueff plan of 1958–1960 for the consolidation of French public finances and the stabilisation of the franc.[3]
Jacques Rueff in the context of the School as a whole: five generations, their teacher-student lineages, circles and collegial ties.
Show in the family tree →SOURCES ON STATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS12 citations · 2 sources
- [1]Minart: Jacques Rueff, un libéral français (2016) · 9×
Places of Activity
The Books
- A Letter to the Advocates of a Controlled EconomyOriginalEnglish
Essays, Reviews, Lectures
- APA
- Jacques Rueff. (n.d.). Edited by mises.at and scholarium. Accessed October 11, 2026, from https://mises.co/jacques-rueff
- Chicago
- “Jacques Rueff.” n.d. Edited by mises.at and scholarium. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://mises.co/jacques-rueff.
- German historical style
- Jacques Rueff, edited by mises.at and scholarium, https://mises.co/jacques-rueff (accessed October 11, 2026).