George Albert Steiner

George Albert Steiner was an American economist. He worked as a business manager at defense-related government agencies and Lockheed Corporation, while also teaching at University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and UCLA.

George Albert Steiner received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Temple University in 1933. He later received his master’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and then his doctorate from the University of Illinois. Steiner then went to Washington to work for the federal government, like many of his contemporaries during World War II. During the war, Dr. Steiner worked on assignments with the Office of Defense Mobilization and the Defense Production Administration.

Dr. Steiner returned to the University of Illinois to teach in 1942. During his time in Champaign-Urbana, Steiner continued to work with the government and the private sector occasionally. During the Korean War, he once again worked for the Office of Defense Mobilization, and his work received recognition from the Office of the President of the United States. From 1953 to 1955, he worked as the chief economist for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation.
Steiner would leave the University of Illinois in 1956, and moved to teach at the University of California at Los Angeles. There, Steiner earned a reputation for being a prolific writer. He co-founded the California Management Review in 1958, a quarterly publication that had a circulation of 2,700 issues. His writings primarily covered the intersection of business, society and government. During his career, he wrote over 30 textbooks on these subjects in addition to countless journal articles.

Dr. Steiner retired from teaching at UCLA in 1972, becoming professor emeritus. In his later life, his career accomplishments received critical acclaim. He was presented the first Sumner Marcus Award for his contributions to researching social issues in business management. Steiner also received the Distinguished Educator Award by the Academy of Management in 1990.
—UIUC