John James McCusker Jr.

John James McCusker, Jr. age 87 passed on Thursday, September 24, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas. He was born on August 12, 1939, in Rochester, New York to parents Helen I. Esse and John James McCusker, Sr.

John McCusker pursued his undergraduate education at St. Bernard Seminary, Rochester, NY, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1961. He received a Master of Arts from the University of Rochester in 1963, and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1970. An economic historian, his research focused on the economy of British America from 1607 to 1789, with the theme of money and exchange, particularly on the rum trade and the balance of payments therein.

He conducted this research while teaching American history and economics classes first at the University of Maryland from 1968 to 1992, and then as the first Ewing Halsell Distinguished Professor of American History and Professor of Economics at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX from 1992 until his retirement in 2015. This research took him and his family to England and other European destinations, allowing him to gather the information to publish numerous papers, articles and essays, and several books among which were Money and Exchange in Europe and America, 1600-1775: A Handbook (1978), The Economy of British North America, 1607-1789 (co-authored with Russell R. Menard in 1985), Rum and the American Revolution: The Rum Trade and the Balance of Payments of the Thirteen Continental Colonies (1989) and How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index (1992 & 2001).

Numerous academic awards, grants and fellowships facilitated his interdisciplinary research efforts throughout the years. He was invited to speak at prestigious conferences and other academic gatherings all over the world, from Beijing to London, Paris, and Rome. As a crowning achievement to his academic career, the George Washington Presidential Library in Mt. Vernon, Virginia, created the John J. McCusker Collection, where upon his retirement he donated 5,000 books from his personal library, six file cabinets containing hundreds of documents and papers, and nearly 100 reels of microfilm. The donation occurred in concert with the 10th anniversary of the library.

He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Patrick McCusker; and wife, Ann Van Pelt. John is survived by his sister, Kathleen T. McCusker and brother, Michael E. McCusker; his son, John J. McCusker III; daughter, Margaret McCusker; daughter-in-law, Holly McCusker; stepdaughter, Terrie Conner; stepson, Kenneth Florance, and many wonderful grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Landa Gardens Conservancy