James W. Friedman

James W. Friedman (September 25, 1936 – February 17, 2016) was an American economist.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, born to parents Theodore and Gertrude, Friedman grew up in Bay City, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan, and completed a doctorate at Yale University in 1963. Friedman began teaching at Yale, and later joined the faculties of the University of Rochester, and Virginia Tech. In 1977, he was elected a fellow of the Econometric Society. Friedman moved to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1985, and was named Kenan Professor of Economics. He held the professorship until retirement in 2001.[1]