Jacob Mincer (July 15, 1922 – August 20, 2006) was a Polish-American economist, widely regarded as the father of modern labor economics. Born in Tomaszów Lubelski, Poland, he survived World War II in concentration camps. Mincer graduated from Emory University in 1950 and received his PhD from Columbia University in 1957. After teaching stints at institutions including City College of New York and the University of Chicago, he joined Columbia's faculty in 1959, where he served as the Joseph L.