Robert Lucas Jr ex-wife: Who is Rita Cohen?

Rita Cohen is the first wife of late Robert Lucas. The duo were married in 1959, but later divorced in 1989.

When Lucas won the Nobel Prize in 1995, which was worth $1 million, Rita had been given half of the prize ($500,000), which was a deal in line with their divorce settlement.

The couple together had two sons – Stephen and Joseph.

Who Was Robert Lucas?

Robert Lucas Jr. was an economist and professor at the University of Chicago, known for his significant contributions to the field of macroeconomics, “particularly in the area of rational expectations and the theory of economic policy.”

Born on September 15, 1937, in Yakima, Washington, Lucas had a Bachelor’s degree in history, and a Ph.D. in economics, both from the University of Chicago.

In 1995, Lucas received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, for his laudable contribution to macroeconomics.

Known for ‘the Lucas Critique’, Lucas’s work played an important role in the development of New Classical Economics, which emphasized the role of market mechanisms and the limitations of government intervention in the economy.

During his lifetime, Lucas held academic positions at various institutions such as the University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Lucas is still regarded as “the most influential macroeconomist of the last quarter of the 20th century”, and was the 11th most cited economist in the world as of 2020.

Lucas passed away from an unknown cause on May 15, 2023. He was aged 85.

He had served as professor at the University of Chicago from 1975 until his demise.