Andrew Ryan (economist)
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| Andrew Ryan | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 14, 1897 Moscow, Russia |
| Died | Unknown |
| Occupation | Commerce, Engineering, Art and Literature |
Andrew Ryan (born October 14, 1897, in Moscow, Russia) is an early 20th century pioneer and proponent of societal capitalism. A firm believer that a purely capitalistic society, operated in a creatively augmented, politically uncorrupted vacuum, constituted a de facto perfection of the modern social condition.
Ryan rose to prominence in the mid-1940s after defecting to the United States from the U.S.S.R., quickly amassing a fortune that rivaled the vast real estate, commodities speculation, shipping or rail fortunes of many of his contemporaries. However, he was most often compared to the enigmatic Howard Hughes for his often-eccentric behavior and infamous reputation for heated, and often public, confrontations with political leaders of the time including a shouting match with former vice president, Henry A. Wallace, that nearly came to blows.
Ryan disappeared from public life in 1950 amid wild rumors that ranged from his involvement in a communist spy plot to the faking of his own death. The mystery of his disappearance, to this day, has remained unsolved.
