Anthony Koo was a faculty member in the Department from 1950 to 1964 and from 1967 until his retirement in 1988. Koo was born in Shanghai, China in 1918. He graduated from St. John’s University (Shanghai) and then earned an M.A. from the University of Illinois before beginning graduate study at Harvard. After receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1947, he joined the Far Eastern Commission from 1947 to 1950, where he was a member of the Chinese delegation for the establishment of the U.N. Anthony’s uncle, Wellington Koo, had served as Chinese Ambassador to the U.K. Following the establishment of a new government of China, he then joined the Department of Economics at MSU in 1950.
Koo was a talented and prolific economic theorist whose work was published in The Review of Economic Studies, The American Economic Review, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Econometrica, and The Journal of Political Economy, among many others. Koo was a member of Academia Sinica in Taiwan and contributed to the master plan to modernize the Taiwanese economy.
In 1964 Koo was offered a position as Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan, which he accepted. However, just three years later, he contacted MSU President John Hannah and inquired whether he might return to MSU. The University and the Department were very glad to have him back. His return also allowed Anthony to continue as an enthusiastic and vocal supporter of MSU football. Indeed, Koo was appointed by President Hannah to serve on the MSU Athletic Council, the academic committee that advised and oversaw the Athletics Department.
Anthony was recognized with MSU’s Distinguished Teacher Award in 1956 and a Distinguished Faculty Award in 1976. In recognition of his extraordinary research record and joint work with graduate students and colleagues, the Department named its seminar facility the Koo Room at the time of his retirement.
Anthony was married to Delia Koo, who also had a Ph.D. from Harvard and served as professor of mathematics at both Eastern Michigan University and MSU. Delia also was very involved with international students at MSU, and she and Anthony made a substantial gift to the University for the establishment of the Delia Koo International Academic Center.
Anthony and Delia Koo lived in Okemos, Michigan. Koo died in 2011.