Jesse Verlyn Burkhead [November 20, 1916 – June 24, 1996] was Maxwell Professor Emeritus of Economics, Syracuse University. He earned his undergraduate degree at Carleton College (1938) and a master’s and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin (1942) and was a Littauer fellow in public administration at Harvard University where he earned an MPA (1942). He joined the U.S. Bureau of the Budget as a budget analyst, served as a USAF officer, and started his academic career at Lehigh University (1947-1948) before being appointed as an associate professor at Syracuse in 1949. He was promoted to full professor in 1954, Maxwell Professor in 1965, and taught economics and public administration until he retired in 1985. He served as a tax consultant to the Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission (1965) and other appointments. His books include the classic Government Budgeting (1956) as well as Public School Finance: Economics and Politics (1964) and seven others. He wrote over 75 articles and monographs. He served as editor of Public Budgeting & Finance (1982-1988) and the journal recognizes the best article published in each volume with the Jesse Burkhead Award. He received AABPA’s Blum Award (1985).