George, Henry (1839-1897), an American political economist and social reformer, originated the single tax. The basic principles of this plan were that land is a free gift of nature; that all men have an equal right to use the land; and that it is unfair for a few to acquire great wealth by holding land that increases in value. George proposed to make this unearned increment (increase in value) the source of all taxation.
George was born in Philadelphia on Sept. 2, 1839. He was concerned with the causes of poverty in the midst of economic development. He stressed the role of landownership and land speculation in economic cycles. George’s theories were first published in 1871 in a pamphlet called Our Land and Land Policy. His most influential work was Progress and Poverty (1879). He died on Oct. 29, 1897.
