Ernst Engel was a distinguished German economist and statistician best known for his influential work on consumer behavior. Born in Dresden in 1821, he became the director of the statistical bureaus in both Saxony and later Prussia, making significant contributions to the field. His most famous contribution is Engel's law, an economic principle which states that as household income rises, the percentage of income spent on food decreases. This observation has had a lasting impact on economics, sociology, and the study of standards of living across different societies.