Fred H. Blum (1914-1990) was an American social scientist and the founder of The New Era Centre. He was born in Germany in 1914, emigrated to the US in 1938 where he became an American citizen and came to Britain in 1959 on behalf of the Society of Friends (Quakers) to study new developments in mental health and religion with special reference to the organization of industry. Fred taught economics at Howard University in Washington DC and was a professor of social sciences in Michigan and Minnesota. The US Senate appointed Fred advisor to the Labor and Welfare Committee, and he worked as a consultant for the young Senator John F. Kennedy.