In 2006, Herbert Baum, became the oldest person to receive a PhD. He was 79 and received the PhD in economics from the University of Chicago! He was “ABD” (all but dissertation) for 55 years beforehand!
He had previously left the university in 1951 to take a position in Washington D.C. as a government agricultural economist. After his stint in Washington D.C., Baum moved to California where he served as CEO of Neturipe and chair of the California Strawberry Commission. He retired in 1991 and wrote a book, The Quest for the Perfect Strawberry, an analysis of the strawberry business in the state of California.
Baum wrote University of Chicago economics professor James Heckman a letter after the book was published. In it, he asked if it could serve as his dissertation. After reading copies, 3 Nobel laureates (Heckman, Gary Becker and Milton Friedman) and another professor elected to award Baum his PhD in economics.
Click here for more specifics on Baum and his dissertation.
Below is a picture of the book cover of Baum’s book The Quest for the Perfect Strawberry.
