cum laude from the City College of New York in 1933 and a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University in 1941;[2] all three of his siblings also earned doctorates.
[1] Vernon worked at the Securities and Exchange Commission from 1935 to 1946 and then at the US Department of State, participating in the development and implementation of the Marshall Plan and also helping facilitate the postwar recovery of Japan.
He played a role in the development of the International Monetary Fund and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, including negotiating the inclusion of Japan in GATT.
[1][4] In 1956–59, he headed the New York Metropolitan Region Study for the Harvard Kennedy School, forecasting the future development of the conurbation.
Vernon's analysis nonetheless held true, in particular his identification of three imperatives for success in international business: innovation, responsiveness to varying local markets, and cost.
[5] Vernon was an excellent rower; he competed for many years in crew in the Head of the Charles Regatta and in his 80s broke the world record in CRASH-B Sprints.