Webum > Science > Social Sciences > Economics > People > Petty, Sir William BBC - History - Sir William Petty (1623 - 1687) Most famous as a political economist and statistician, he made a fortune using soldiers to survey Ireland, and invented the catamaran. History of Economic Thought | Sir William Petty Biography, links, and works. William Petty E-texts of some of his works. William Petty From Thoemmes Press' Dictionary of Seventeenth-Century British Philosophers. Works of William Petty Several of his books and notes. Help build the biggest human edited directory on the internet Add your website - Open Directory Project - Become an editor