Jim Grant P ’00 of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer Speaks at Browning
On October 29, the Alumni Association welcomed back past parent Jim Grant as the featured guest of this year’s Class of 2000 Distinguished Speaker Series. Mr. Grant is the founder and editor of “Grant’s Interest Rate Observer,” a twice-monthly journal of the investment markets, founded in 1983. “Grant’s” as it is more commonly known to its subscribers, has an editorial mission “to see the present more clearly and to squint into the future more imaginatively,” while striving “to uncover good ideas and to expose bad ones.” A number of devoted readers of “Grant’s” returned to Browning for this special event.
Upon arrival at Browning, Mr. Grant first spent time with a Form V student who interviewed him for the Grytte, the student-run newspaper. He then spoke with a group of alumni donors in the Wilson Room. This intimate roundtable discussion touched on various topics ranging from the recession, inflation and the Federal Reserve to the shipping industry, the Financial Times and journalism today.
Following the roundtable, alumni, parents, trustees and friends gathered in the Lower Gym to hear Mr. Grant’s keynote address, “A Kind Word for Money.” Headmaster Clement welcomed the audience and first introduced Mr. Grant’s son, Philip Grant ’00, who is a trader for CF Global Trading and writes a daily re-cap on the U.S. markets. Phil then proudly introduced his dad, who was equally proud and also honored to be back at his son’s alma mater in this capacity. Mr. Grant’s humor, wisdom and thoughtfulness were reflected both in his keynote address and during the Q&A session with the audience, which was followed by a reception for all guests.
More about Jim Grant
Mr. Grant has had a long-time career as a financial journalist and historian. He has authored a number of books, including “Bernard M. Baruch: The Adventures of a Wall Street Legend,” “Money of the Mind,” “Minding Mr. Market,” “The Trouble with Prosperity,” “Mr. Market Miscalculates,” and his latest, “The Forgotten Depression, 1921: The Crash that Cured Itself,” which won the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research’s 2015 Hayek Book Prize. He has also written two political biographies, “John Adams: Party of One” and “Mr. Speaker! The Life and Times of Thomas B. Reed, the Man Who Broke the Filibuster.” Further, he contributed an essay to Graham and Dodd’s “Security Analysis: Sixth Edition.” His television appearances include “60 Minutes,” “The Charlie Rose Show,” “CBS Evening News” and a 10-year stint on “Wall Street Week.” He has been published in the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs and a variety of other periodicals.
A former Navy gunner’s mate, Mr. Grant is a Phi Beta Kappa alumnus of Indiana University. He earned a master’s degree in international relations from Columbia University and began his career in journalism in 1972 at The Baltimore Sun. He joined the staff of Barron’s in 1975, where he originated the “Current Yield” column. He is a trustee of the New York Historical Society. Mr. Grant and his wife, Patricia Kavanagh, M.D., live in Brooklyn, and they are the parents of four grown children.
About the Class of 2000 Distinguished Speaker Series
This event was established by the Class of 2000 upon the occasion of its 10th Browning Reunion, in an effort to bring interesting speakers to the alumni and parent community. Prior guests include renowned short-seller Jim Chanos in 2012, former Wall Street Journal columnist Tom Herman ’64 in 2013, and Governor Howard Dean ’66 in 2014. We are thrilled to have had Mr. Grant participate this year, and we greatly appreciate his efforts in making this a unique evening for the Browning community!