ABSTRACT
Richard Cantillon (pronounced KAN-till-LON) is a mysterious and fascinating figure. Few details of his birth and youth are known, and his financial activities as well as his death remain shrouded in controversy. Despite devoting most of his life to making money, Cantillon wrote the first real economic treatise, a study describing the interrelationships and workings of the economic system. He also contributed to monetary theory and was the first person to explain the important economic role played by the entrepreneur.
