George Herbert Borts, 86

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Professor George Herbert Borts, died May 2 in Providence. He was a son of the late Elias Alexander and Etta (Silberg) Borts, husband of Muriel “Dolly” (Levenson) Borts and brother of Lawrence (Beverly) Borts. He was the father of David (Lucia Fontes) Borts, Richard (Paulette York) Borts and Robert (Erin O’Cain) Borts. He was the grandfather of Alexander, Andrew and Liana Borts. Borts was born in New York City on Aug. 29, 1927, and educated at Columbia University. He received his A.M. in 1949 and his Ph.D. in 1953 from the University of Chicago, studying under Milton Friedman. He spent 63 years at Brown University, where he joined the Department of Economics in 1950 at the age of 23. During his career, he served as chairman of the Department of Economics at Brown, as the managing editor of the “American Economic Review” and as a visiting professor/research fellow at Hokkaido University, London School of Economics and the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Borts was an expert in international finance and transportation. He testified frequently before U.S. and Canadian regulatory commissions. During his long and distinguished career, he published numerous scholarly books, articles and monographs as well as commentary for the Providence Journal. A tireless advocate for the free market, he was also a dedicated educator and teacher. He advised both undergraduate and graduate students with equal dedication and led Brown’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter for many years. Borts served on many boards, including the Rhode Island School of Design, Dartmouth’s Amos Tuck School of Business, Rhode Island Blue Shield, Junior Achievement of Rhode Island and Temple Beth-El. He also advised several political candidates on economic and tax policy.

Contributions in memory of George H. Borts may be made to Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island, Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center or the Alzheimer’s Association, Rhode Island Chapter.