Peter Coffey, the first person to hold the University of St. Thomas’ International Management Chair, died March 28 in Seattle, Wash. He was 79. Coffey was a Professor Emeritus of International Management after teaching at St. Thomas from 1989 to 2002.
Peter Coffey
He was known for his expertise on the European Union and international economic issues. He hosted numerous round tables at St. Thomas and was the author of more than 30 books.
According to the St. Thomas Bulletin of Sept. 5, 1989, Coffey, an internationally known economist, was 55 when he was named to the U.S. West-endowed Chair in International Management after a yearlong search. He was widely recognized as an authority on the European Union and its possible consequences for international business, trade, banking and financial services.
He was native of York, England. He studied at the University of Durham in North England, he was a former Fulbright scholar, and he held research positions in France and West Germany and lectured or taught in nearly all the nations of the European Union.
He was described as a "world citizen” and could speak seven languages.
The York Press, England, paid tribute to Coffey Saturday, May 4.
