Mr. Ralph Harrub Blanchard was teacher, author, student and editor. For many years, he was Professor of Insurance at Columbia University and then Professor Emeritus. Among the ablest scholars and teachers in insurance, he did much to advance insurance education in American colleges and universities. He instituted the Insurance Series of the McGraw-Hill Book Company, a classic in the industry, and as editor stimulated the development of a sound body of insurance literature in the United States.
His counsel on insurance topics and problems was widely sought and his influence extended beyond academic halls. Long a believer in the essential unity of the various branches of the insurance business, he urged recognition of this fact in university curricula. The honors awarded him at home and abroad attest to the esteem in which colleagues held him.
A rigorous insurance scholar, he contributed significantly to the quality of insurance literature. He was known for his ability to make issues of insurance and risk management clear and pithy.