Remembering Fred Foldvary
Fred Foldvary
California Common Ground is saddened by the loss of Dr. Fred Foldvary, an esteemed and long-time member of our organization, our former Vice President and an inspirational advocate of Henry George’s philosophy. We hold in our hearts his memory and extend our deepest sympathy to his family.
Dr. Foldvary is notably distinguished for going on record in the American Journal of Economics and Sociology in 1997 to predict the exact timing of the 2008 economic depression—eleven years before the event occurred. He was able to do so due to his extensive knowledge of the real-estate cycle. Dr. Foldvary’s research focused on universal ethics, public revenue from land rent, community associations, and business cycles.
Dr. Foldvary received his B.A. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University. He has taught economics at Virginia Tech, John F. Kennedy University, Latvian University of Agriculture, Santa Clara University, and at San Jose State University.
Dr. Foldvary also wrote on topics including ending slavery in chocolate plantations; a green tax shift to protect the environment while enhancing the economy; reforming democracy with small-group voting; and solving territorial conflict with confederations and the payment of rent for occupied land.
After retiring from teaching at the university level, Dr. Foldvary continued with online seminars and classes including his association with the Henry George School of New York, The Council of Georgist Organizations and Common Ground USA. Dr. Foldvary also served on the Board of The Robert Schalkenbach Foundation .
Dr. Foldvary’s published books include The Soul of Liberty, Public Goods and Private Communities, Dictionary of Free-Market Economics, and The Depression of 2008.
In a 2011 paper, Dr. Mason Gaffney, Professor Emeritus of Economics at UC Riverside, criticized the economic community for excluding and ignoring Foldvary
Dr. Fred Foldvary presents at the Council of Georgist Organizations 2020 Conference in Zoom his talk: On Earth as it is in Heaven.