Friedrich List
When one thinks of the leading arguments for protectionism, they typically arrive at the German economist Friedrich List (1789-1846). Due to his German nationality, however, List is not often associated with the American Protectionist School, and this comes despite the fact that his system of thought was, in many respects, a product of his association with the leading American Protectionists of the time. Indeed, List himself was under no illusion that in advocating what he called the ‘National System’, he was in fact advocating the ‘American System.’ List’s first major work was entitled Outlines of American Political Economy, and in the opening passage of the work he declares it to be his duty to defend the American System from the criticisms of free traders. In the words of List:
Friedrich List was born in August of 1789, in Reutlingen, Württemberg, now a state of Germany. List’s father was a tanner and public official. Limited information exists on List’s early life. What is known is that List would enter the civil service in 1805, where he first worked as a probationer in the local government. Over the course of the next decade, List would move in and out of various roles within the civil service. In 1817, List would then successfully apply for the newly established Chair of Public Administration at the University of Tubingen. He would then become the secretary of the Union of Merchants in 1819, an organization which advocated for a uniform customs union and the abolition of internal tariff duties between the individual German states. Taking on this position led List into a confrontation with the administration of the University, which led to List resigning from his academic post. Later in 1820, List would be elected to the Württemberg General Assembly. As an assemblyman, List would advocate the privatization of state-owned enterprises, the abolition of state-sponsored monopolies, a reduction in taxation, and a downsizing of the civil service. This created such as stir, however, that List would eventually be charged with sedition. He would be convicted in 1822 and sentenced to ten months in prison. Learning of his verdict, List fled the country and travelled throughout Europe, where he remained a fugitive for the next two years. List eventually returned to Württemberg in 1824 and would have to spend five months in prison. List was then expelled from his homeland and made the decision to move to the United States.
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List arrived in New York City on June 9, 1825, and then made his way to Philadelphia. Via a mutual contact, List had managed to establish a relationship with the Marguis de Lafayette, and subsequently joined Lafayette’s entourage, which allowed List to become acquainted with prominent statesmen, such as John Quincey Adams, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster. List would eventually settle in Pennsylvania, becoming a journalist for the German newspaper, the Reading Adler. During this time, List also became involved in Mathew Carey’s Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of National Industry. It is through his involvement with this organization that List was presented with the opportunity to attend the 1827 Harrisburg Convention, and this eventually motivated List to write his first work, Outlines of American Political Economy. List’s Outlines first appeared through a series of letters in the National Gazette in 1827, and would be published in pamphlet format later that year. List had planned to write a subsequent treatise, which was to be titled The American Economist, but due to List’s attention being devoted to his private business ventures in railroads and anthracite coal, the work never materialized.
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When Andrew Jackson ascended to the Presidency in 1830, List, who had befriended Jackson’s Secretary of State, Edward Livington, sought a diplomatic post. List briefly returned to Europe in 1830 to serve as the American Consul to Hamburg, but this post was ultimately denied to him. Eventually, however, List would be appointed American Consul to the Kingdom of Saxony in July 1832, and this ended his life in the United States. List would remain in Saxony until 1837. He briefly returned to Württemberg, where he pleaded to have his citizenship reinstated, but this request was denied. List then proceeded to France. In was during his time in France that List produced his magnum opus The National System of Political Economy. This was published in 1841, with the first American edition (which was also the first English translation) appearing in 1856. This edition was edited by fellow protectionist Stephen Colwell.
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List grew increasingly anxious and depressed later in life. On November 30, 1846, List left the inn which he was staying at in Munich. Later that night List’s body was found outside the city covered in snow. He had taken his own life earlier that morning. List’s other major work, The Natural System of Political Economy, would not be discovered and published until 1927, some ninety years after List’s death. List had written this work in 1837 for a competition ran by the French Academy for Moral Political Science. The Academy ultimately rejected all twenty-seven manuscripts submitted in the competition. Disheartened by the result, List shelved this work, and proceeded to pen his National System of Political Economy.
"I believe it to be a duty [for myself and others]… to lay an axe to the… system of Adam Smith and Co… by declaring war against it on the part of the American System… The last work of Dr. [Thomas] Cooper shows pretty clearly the necessity of such measures on the part of the supporters of the American System. According to [Cooper’s] work… you and I… and all the [other] supporters of the American System, are nothing else than idiots."