Heine, Irwin (Millard) 1909-2002

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HEINE, Irwin (Millard) 1909-2002

PERSONAL: Born 1909, in Philadelphia, PA; died of pneumonia January 31, 2002, in Washington, DC; married Rita Louise Rosenthal (died 1994). Education: University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, B.A. (economics), M.A. (international economics); studied international shipping, trade, and economic policies in France and England, c. 1930s. Hobbies and other interests: Collecting books and fine art.

CAREER: Author, economist, and authority on maritime affairs. U.S. Maritime Administration, began as chief statistician, 1946, retired as chief of international maritime affairs, 1970; U.S. delegate to NATO on matters of ocean shipping and member of delegation planning board; consultant for government agencies, presidential commissions, and law firms. Military service: U.S. Naval Reserve; lieutenant in War Shipping Administration during World War II.

WRITINGS:

Devaluation of Foreign Currencies: An Analysis of theProbable Effects of Devaluation upon Maritime Commission Activities, Maritime Commission (Washington, DC), 1949.

(With Muriel Coe) Effective United States Control ofMerchant Ships: A Statistical Analysis, U.S. Maritime Administration (Washington, DC), 1970.

China's Maritime Agreements: Prepared for Members of the National Council for U.S.-China Trade, The Council (Washington, DC), 1977.

The United States Merchant Marine: A National Asset: An Addendum to the July 1976 Edition Containing Revised and Additional Tables and Listing, National Maritime Council (Washington, D.C.), 1978.

The U.S. Maritime Industry in the National Interest: AComprehensive Historical and Statistical Reference: Government Policies, Tables, and Charts, Economic and Defense Aspects, Photos, National Maritime Council (Washington, D.C.), 1980.

China's Rise to Commercial Maritime Power, Greenwood Press (New York, NY), 1989.

SIDELIGHTS: Irwin Heine, an expert in maritime affairs, had a long and distinguished career that included service to the government, consulting and writing. He received degrees in economics and international economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and filled the position of assistant director in the department of statistics and research in the War Shipping Administration during World War II. After the war he joined the Maritime Administration as a statistician, and upon his retirement in 1970, he held the post of chief of international maritime affairs. Subsequently he served as a delegate to NATO and sat on several of that organization's committees. He served as a consultant for various government agencies, presidential commissions, and law firms on maritime issues. Heine wrote steadily, both as a single author and in collaboration with others, during his career. He had many books, articles, and monographs to his credit. His intense involvement with the maritime world did not, however, prevent him from nurturing other interests. He accumulated a large private library and collected paintings, drawings, and prints by British, American, Dutch, French, and Spanish artists from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries. He died in Washington, D.C., on January 31, 2002.

Heine's book, published in 1980, The U.S. Maritime Industry in the National Interest: A Comprehensive Historical and Statistical Reference: Government Policies, Tables, and Charts, Economic and Defense Aspects, Photos, has been recognized as a useful reference tool for readers interested in the maritime industry. There is information on shipbuilding, the Merchant Marine, technology, labor and the organization that represents the industry, the National Maritime Council. A reviewer in Choice, noted that it is unique in that it includes information on maritime labor. The connections between American shipping and issues of national security and national interest are underscored. A glossary, index, numerous illustrations, a bibliography and fifty-five appendices, are included.

China's Rise to Commercial Maritime Power has received recognition as an important contribution to the understanding of China's re-emergence as a sea power. Heine described China's thorough and rapid maritime transformation, which took place within a period of forty years. From the end of the fifteenth century until the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949, China's maritime position was relatively insignificant. The Communist government, with small resources, created a merchant marine in twelve years, achieved prominence as an international shipbuilder, and possessed an impressive fleet within twenty-six years. Heine examined all of the factors, including the multinational agreements that are credited as a factor in China's success. Precise information about shipbuilding, maritime policy, and merchant shipping is provided as well as an evaluation of China's maritime future. W. S. Reed, in a review of the book for Choice, asserted that China's Rise to Commercial Maritime Power will appeal to a very broad range of people. The reviewer suggested that researchers in a number of fields, including history and international relations, will find the book an efficient compendium of data, while the casual reader will be surprised by, and interested in the complexity of the shipping world. Included is a bibliography, chapter endnotes, and appendices.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

China Business Review, November-December, 1989, Jennifer Little, review of China's Rise to Commercial Maritime Power, pp. 29-30.

Choice, June, 1982, review of The U.S. MaritimeIndustry in the National Interest: A Comprehensive History and Statistical Reference: Government Policies, Tables, Charts, Economic and Defense Aspects, p. 1457; October, 1989, W. S. Reed, review of China's Rise to Commercial Maritime Power, p. 358.

Journal of Economic Literature, March, 1990, review of China's Rise to Commercial Maritime Power, p. 187.

Sea Frontiers, November-December, 1981, review of The U.S. Maritime Industry in the National Interest, p. 378.