Lewis, Arthur

Sir William Arthur Lewis was born on January 23, 1915, in what is now known as Saint Lucia (formerly the Caribbean British territory of Castries). He completed the territory’s standard curriculum by the age of 14. In 1932, he sat for and won the government examination for a scholarship to a British university. He was admitted to the London School of Economics (LSE) in 1933, and he graduated in 1937 with first class honors and an LSE scholarship to study industrial economics at the doctoral level. He completed the doctoral degree in 1940.

In 1948, after several years’ lecturing and researching experience, Lewis was granted a full professorship at Manchester University. He remained there for the next nine years. From 1957 to 1963, Lewis served consecutively ...