Hayek personally recruited Aaron Director and founded the Chicago School

Evidence

Hayek’s reassurance must have lifted Director’s spirits, for he replied promptly, informing Hayek that he would agree to accept the five-year post without promise of tenure. Director then pledged his allegiance to Hayek: “I need not assure you that I consider your project of the greatest importance, or of my permanent interest in the issues at stake. You know the source of my hesitation. Henry’s death has of course accentuated this.” Thus, we observe that Hayek played the instrumental role in persuading Director to go to Chicago and in making the Volker project happen; furthermore, Friedman did not play any equivalent role. Director had written Hayek: “Milton Friedman may be in touch with you. I talked with him briefly; he is no longer as enthusiastic as he was, it may be because of his reaction to the practical implications for me.” This action, we argue, demonstrates Hayek’s indispensable and pivotal role in the creation of the Chicago School. — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 753

Categorization

• XREF: Challenges the standard Friedman-centric origin story of the Chicago School; connects to the broader revisionist historiography of Chicago economics. — connects to: The Chicago School was founded by Simons and Hayek with Volker Fund money — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 155; Aaron Director’s conversion from leftist politics shaped the Chicago School’s formation — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 732; Hayek personally founded both the Chicago School and the Mont Pèlerin Society — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 765 (+1 more)
• SEED: Essay angle: the under-appreciated personal diplomacy behind intellectual movements — how Hayek, not Friedman, actually built Chicago.

Broader Connections

• Frank Knight is misattributed as Chicago School founder, obscuring Hayek’s role #corroborates (0.85) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 764
• Aaron Director’s conversion from leftist politics shaped the Chicago School’s formation #expands (0.82) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 732
• Hayek personally founded both the Chicago School and the Mont Pèlerin Society #contradicts (0.72) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 765