Arthur Kitson

Arthur Kitson (6 April 1859, London – 2 October 1937) was a British monetary theorist and inventor.

Early life

Arthur Kitson, ME, was born in London, England. He was the fourth son of James Kitson of London, and cousin of Sir James Kitson, Baronet. Arthur was educated by private tutors and at King's College, London, where he won the Whitworth scholarship in a competitive examination, being second out of 600 contestants. He came to the United States immediately after college, and worked for the Baldwin Locomotive Company of Philadelphia.

He married Fannie Ernestina Aschenbach in Spring Garden, Philadelphia on 25 March 1886. They had seven children but eventually divorced.

Arthur Kitson knew the Democrat politician William Jennings Bryan and worked for Bryan's 1896 presidential campaign in Pennsylvania.

Career

Kitson was the managing director of the Kitson Empire Lighting Company of Stamford, Lincolnshire, and he held many patents.

In 1901, he invented the vaporised oil burner. The fuel was vaporised at high pressure and burned to heat the mantle, giving an output of over six times the luminosity of traditional oil lights. This device was later improved by David Hood at Trinity House.

Banking research

Kitson was invited to contribute to the Cunliffe Committee on Currency and Foreign Exchange Rates in January 1919. In place of oral testimony, he published his criticism at his own expense and furnished copies to every member of the committee. He later formed the Economic Freedom League with Frederick Soddy and was active in this venture through the 1920s.