Robert Dorfman, 85; Harvard Expert on Linear Programming

Robert Dorfman, 85, a Harvard University professor respected for his contributions to linear programming and environmental economics, died Monday at his home in Belmont, Mass.

An aspiring poet in his youth, he was known to colleagues for the clarity and grace of his writing about complex topics such as linear models of production and economic history.

He was a co-author, with Nobel Laureate Robert M. Solow and economist Paul A. Samuelson, of 1958’s “Linear Programming and Economic Analysis.” He also wrote “Application of Linear Programming to the Theory of the Firm.” Linear programming is a mathematical modeling technique useful for guiding quantitative decisions in business and other fields.

Born in New York City in 1916, Dorfman was educated at Columbia and UC Berkeley. He joined Harvard in 1955 and remained until his retirement 32 years later. He began his career as a statistician.