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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000125

First Jewish Recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences

Record holder

Paul A. SamuelsonPerson

Record value

10 December 1970

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: Stockholm, United StatesAchievement date: 10 December 1970Current record

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Paul A. Samuelson

Paul A. Samuelson — record holder for “First Jewish Recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences”.Bernard Gotfryd / Library of Congress / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic domain

Official record definition

The earliest natural person satisfying JWR Jewish Eligibility at Achievement who personally received the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.

Measurement methodology

Official Nobel Prize chronology from the inaugural 1969 award through 1970, combined with Jewish Eligibility at Achievement review and predecessor screening.

Measurement point: verified record metric at the qualifying achievement date

Record story

Paul A. Samuelson received the 1970 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for work that reshaped modern economic theory. The prize had been created only a year earlier, making the predecessor universe unusually compact and auditable. Samuelson’s mathematical approach helped turn economics into a more rigorous analytical discipline, while his textbooks brought economic thinking to millions of students. Official Nobel chronology and independent Jewish biographical evidence together establish him as the first Jewish recipient of the prize. The record captures both a landmark in Jewish achievement and a pivotal moment in the history of twentieth-century economics.

Media

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  • Paul A. Samuelson
    Paul A. Samuelson, record holder.Bernard Gotfryd / Library of Congress / Wikimedia CommonsSourcePublic domain

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
29 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

NobelPrize.org names Paul A. Samuelson as the sole 1970 laureate in Economic Sciences and gives the official citation for his work in static and dynamic economic theory.

Superiority evidence

The prize began in 1969. Its only earlier laureates were Ragnar Frisch and Jan Tinbergen; JWR’s eligibility review establishes Samuelson as the first qualifying Jewish recipient.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Paul A. Samuelson — Facts — Nobel Prize Outreach / NobelPrize.org
  • Paul Samuelson, Nobel laureate in economics, dies — Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1970 — Nobel Prize Outreach

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Economic Sciences 1969 — Nobel Prize Outreach

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

History

  1. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

  2. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

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