George Goodman, aka ‘Adam Smith,’ dies

George Goodman, aka ‘Adam Smith,’ dies

Associated Press

NEW YORK

George Goodman, a journalist, business author and award-winning television host who under the pseudonym “Adam Smith” made economics accessible to millions of people, died Friday at age 83.

Goodman’s son, Mark Goodman, said his father died at the University of Miami Hospital after a long battle with the bone-marrow disorder myelofibrosis.

Starting in the 1950s, the elder Goodman had a long, diverse and accomplished career, whether as a founder of New York Magazine, as a best-selling business author or as the personable host of “Adam Smith’s Money World.”

Known as “Jerry” to his friends, he prided himself on making arcane debates among economists and business leaders understandable, often using an anecdotal or irreverent approach to explain a complicated issue. He has been credited with coining the mocking catchphrase, “Assume a can opener,” as a parody of academic jargon.

“I have always believed that if you dramatize a story, you can make it comprehensible while at the same time maintaining a relatively high level of sophistication,” he once said.

“Adam Smith’s Money World” was a multiple- Emmy winner that aired on PBS stations from 1984 to 1996, with guests including Warren Buffett and then-Federal Reserve Board chairman Paul Volcker. He also was an executive editor at Esquire, a member of The New York Times editorial board and a commentator for NBC television. In recent years, he sponsored a lecture series through the Harvard Club of New York Foundation.