Foxing and aged pages Leonard Solomon Silk (May 15, 1918 – February 10, 1995)[1] was an American economist, author, and journalist. Silk's diverse areas of interest included global economics, unemployment, banking, and inflation.[2] Silk wrote for Business Week between 1954 and 1969.[3] He also wrote for the New York Times between 1970 and 1993, first writing editorials, then beginning in 1976, his own column.[2][3]