Albín Bráf

Albín Bráf was one of the members of the legendary  Palacký and Rieger group, not only by his family bonds but also his scientific work which benefited of the economic revival of the Czech lands. He was the first professor of economics at the Czech Prague University after its re-founding in 1882, and he was a co-author of the Czech terminology of economics. With Bráf there begins a systematic research of economics in Czech on a scientific level.

 He was born on 27 February 1851in Třebíč. After finishing secondary school like most Czech economists of that time, he studied at the Law Faculty of  Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague. After some short judicial experience he became a professor of economics and business statistics at the Czechoslovak Commercial College in Prague (1874 – 1882). In 1877 he started to work as a docent at the Czech Polytechnics and Law Faculty of the Prague University. He was the first to teach economics in Czech before the University split into Czech and German part.  In 1882, after the split he went to work at the Czech University, where he continued to  work until the end of his life. In 1888 he married Libuše, a daughter of F. L. Rieger, the leader of the so-called Old Czechs and a granddaughter of Palacký. Bráf was a staunch supporter of the Old Czechs and he was a member of the parliament of the Czech assembly and of the Czech National Committee (1887 – 1891). In 1905 he was called fup as a life member of the upper house of parliament. Two times he was the minister of tillage in the Vienna government. In 1911 he became a member of a commission for reform of administration. He died in Roztoky on 1 July 1912. He is buried in  Vyšehrad cemetery.

Bráf was one of the first pioneers of modern Czech society, and played a very important role in the development of Czech industry, agriculture, trade, commerce, banking, insurance industry and specialized education, either by defining the programme of Czech economics and solving expert issues, or by his active participation in bodies of various economic institutions. During more than a quarter of a century of his pedagogical work he educated a whole generation of economists, many of which became ministers in the First (Czechoslovak) Republic, managers of banks, economic institutions, etc. As a land MP, member of the upper house and the minister of tillage he inspired and put through many important regulations for the development of the economy in Bohemia (e.g. foundation of the National Bank, statistical offices and workhouses). According to Karel Engliš, "Bráf was one of the most powerful officials  who co-determined the development of the Czech economic and social conditions." The life, work and opinions of professor A. Bráf are not only a component part of  Czech history and  Czech economic thought. His personality remains an example of a citizen, scientist, economist, politician and a teacher. His thoughts, way of working and attitudes stimulate thought about current economic issues and tasks.

Bráf did not write integrated scientific work. He left only litho-printed lectures and many partial studies. In his  will he authorised his two students, Josef Gruber and Cyril Horáček, to order classify and publish his works. Between 1919 and 1915   three volumes of his university lectures were published (economic theory, economic politics and financial science). The First World War interrupted publishing of other Bráf works. After the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic (CSR), between 1922 and 1924 another five volumes under the title Albín Bráf. His life and Works were published. In the history of  Czech economic thought Bráf's works are the only collected works of one author. Nevertheless, these do not include all the author's works.

Mgr. Vladimír Seidl

On this page there can be found the following from the works of A. Bráf: