 | Henry W. Broude |
Henry W. Broude, the Philip G. Bartlett Professor Emeritus of Economics and History who served as adviser to the president during three Yale administrations, died of cancer on Jan. 15 in Branford, Connecticut. He was 81.
Broude, who was appointed at Yale in 1954, was an economic historian on Yale's faculty when then-Provost Kingman Brewster asked his help with several crises. From that moment, through the presidential eras of Brewster, A. Bartlett Giamatti and Benno C. Schmidt Jr., Broude was an influential contributor to presidential decisions both major and minor.
First as director of academic planning from 1963 to 1972, then as adviser to the president from 1972 to 1992, Broude helped see the University through many important moments: the protests in New Haven over the Black Panther trial in 1970; the advent of coeducation; labor strikes; periods of financial constraint; major facilities and architectural initiatives; and great flux and development in Yale's professional schools. Working much of the time from an office adjoining the Yale president's, he was noted for his skills at gathering information, promoting and smoothing relations with faculty and for aiding three Yale leaders -- with their different temperaments and styles -- in making decisions on a wide range of challenging issues.
Often known as the "eminence grise" of Yale, Broude was also famously discreet, even to the point of shredding the most inconsequential telephone messages, his colleagues recall. He preferred to remain in the background, never responding to journalists or giving interviews about any person or subject, even after his retirement. His friends and colleagues say he never repeated a confidence or betrayed one. Well known as the institutional memory of Yale, he attended meetings but never took a note, relying instead on his memory to recapture with precision, even years later, complex personnel matters and the course of University events.
"Henry had the rare capacity to absorb what you were saying without the need to display his knowledge or insert his own view," says President Richard C. Levin. "He advised not by sharing confidences but by asking probing questions. His discretion and loyalty generated the great affection and trust, not just of presidents but of countless friends and colleagues. Perhaps this is why his wife said that he could have been a psychoanalyst or a rabbi."
Henry W. Broude was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Feb. 23, 1925, the son of Bert C. and Anna Broude. He started at Antioch College, then left to join the Navy. A fluke -- he ducked into a mess hall to get out of the rain and found himself taking a test on which he performed brilliantly -- made him a radar technician, a happenstance that saved him from combat and, he felt certain, had spared his life. He finished at Antioch and earned his Ph.D. at Harvard University. He was appointed at Yale in 1954 to teach economic history in the Department of Economics and antitrust law at the Yale Law School. His landmark book, "Steel Decisions and the National Economy," was published in 1963.
Broude retired from his administrative duties in 1992 and returned to teaching. Although most of his career had been in administration, he was a beloved teacher to undergraduate and graduate students, renowned for his ability to link economics to the grand sweep of history and to the labors of workers as well as the peccadilloes of kings. The 1996 undergraduate "Course Critique" evaluating his seminar ended with the words, "Generous grading, interesting material, a great professor and a host of fascinating stories. What more could anyone ask?"
Professor Broude is survived by his wife of 59 years, Josephine, who was for many years the executive assistant to Yale's provost. The Broudes are known in antique circles and over the years gathered a collection of inkwells, inkstands, English ceramics of the 18th and 19th centuries, and objects of vertu.
Funeral services were private, and there will be no memorial service. Donations in Broude's memory can be made to Connecticut Hospice (100 Double Beach Rd., Branford, CT), Yale-New Haven Hospital (20 York St., New Haven, CT) or the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven (70 Audubon St., New Haven, CT).
T H I S
In Memoriam: Henry Broude,
adviser to three Yale presidents
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Yale opens PET Center
Music historian wins Mellon Award
Urry: Physics has 'transformed the way we live'
Yale studies cited among top 10 breakthroughs of 2006
Office of Business Transition to help lead transformation of . . .
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS
Haun Saussy appointed as Bird White Housum Professor
Ellen Rosand is designated as George A. Saden Professor
Katie Trumpener is appointed as Emily Sanford Professor
In Memoriam: Economic historian Henry Broude
Junior faculty member Glenn Micalizio named Eli Lilly Grantee
Conference to explore documentary films on Iraq war
Exhibit features recent work by British painter Howard Hodgkin
Saybrook College to host teas with four distinguished journalists
Malaysian artist's work in batik is featured in ISM exhibition
Reopening gala kicks off center's Black History Month events
Sterling Library exhibit showcases images of 'Disappearing Africa'
English department to present staged reading of four plays . . .
Study questions use of addictive opioids for . . . treatment of back pain
The impact of open standards to be explored
DeVane Lectures location changed
Campus Notes
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home