William Petty
Sir William Petty (
1623-
1687) was a
scientist and
philosopher. Born as the son of a
Hampshire clothier, Petty held extensive holdings in
Ireland due to association with
Oliver Cromwell and Commonwealth. He was Member of Parliament briefly, being a scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur, and was a charter member of the
Royal Society. Knighted in 1661. He was the great-grandfather of
William Petty Fitzmaurice.
He is most well known for economic history and statistic writings, pre-Adam Smith.
Publications
- A Treatise of Taxes and Contributions (1662)
- Political Arithmetic posth. (approx. 1676, pub. 1690)
- Verbum Sapienti posth. (1664, pub. 1691)
- Political Anatomy of Ireland posth. (1672, pub. 1691)
- Quantulumcunque Concerning Money posth. (1682, pub. 1695)