GIFFEN, SIR ROBERT (1837-191o), K.C.B., 1895, Brit ish statistician and economist, was born at Strathaven, Lanark shire. He entered a solicitor's office in Glasgow, attending courses at the university. He drifted into journalism, and after working for the Stirling Journal, he joined the staff of the Globe in 1862. He assisted John Morley on the Fortnightly Review. In 1868 he became Walter Bagehot's assistant-editor on the Economist; and in 1873 city-editor of the Daily News, and later of The Times. In 1876 he was appointed head of the statistical department in the Board of Trade, and subsequently he became assistant secre tary (1882) and finally controller-general (1892), retiring in 1897. As chief statistical adviser to the Government, he was constantly employed in drawing up reports, giving evidence before commis sions of inquiry, and acting as a government auditor. In 1892 he was elected F.R.S. He died in Scotland on April 12, 1910.
His principal publications were Essays on Finance (1879 and 1884), The Progress of the Working Classes (1884), The Growth of Capital (189o) , The Case against Bimetallism (1892) , and Economic inquiries and Studies (19o4) .