Burton W. Folsom Jr.

Burton W. Folsom, Jr. is an American historian and author. He received his doctorate in history from the University of Pittsburgh in 1976 and as of 2005 is a professor of American history at Hillsdale College. Folsom has written several books that review and criticize commonly held views about the role of capitalism in the social developments of the Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age. Contrasting with Matthew Josephson's portrayal of capitalists as irresponsible monopolists who preyed on the public, he shows them as constructive visionaries who were integral to the development of industry. Folsom draws a distinction between political entrepreneurs whose profited from government favors while running inefficient businesses, and market entrepreneurs who succeeded by providing better and lower-cost products or services, usually while facing vigorous competition.

Folsom is a former associate of the Free Enterprise Institute and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, both free market think tanks, and a frequent guest of the Foundation for Economic Education.