Happy 80th Birthday Leonard Liggio

Steven Horwitz

Let me take a moment to wish a happy 80th birthday to one of the most important figures in the modern libertarian movement who many of you might not know: Leonard Liggio. Leonard has been around the movement since his youth, having spent time with Rand and Rothbard and being one of the earliest and most important figures in the growth of the Institute for Humane Studies. He has been with the Atlas Foundation in recent years, tirelessly traveling the world for the cause of liberty. (He was just in Portugal at the Liberty Fund I attended last weekend.)

Almost every libertarian academic or think-tanker I know has had contact with Leonard. He is the consummate networker and always shows up with something he found that he thinks you should read (he did so for at least both me and Sarah last weekend). Leonard has done so much for liberty, and much of it somewhat behind the scenes, that it's hard to really summarize. I was very happy to have helped honor him two years ago with the Society for the Development of Austrian Economics Lifetime Achievement Award.  Pete offered us a nice overview of Leonard's career then.

He is a gem, a gentleman, and a giant of modern libertarianism.

Happy 80th Leonard. Many, many more.

Comments

[Richard Ebeling]

If I may add, Steve, Leonard Liggio is also one of the great masters of history -- all history, and seemingly of every country and every period of time for all of the thousands of year man has been on this earth.

Many years ago, I once witnessed Leonard and another highly knowledgeable historian sit around and play a game of one-upmanship, of who knew more about everything in every historically small detail.

Leonard won, of course.

Happy Birthday, Leonard.

[Mariorizzo.wordpress.com]

Your words are good and true to the man.

I remember Leonard from my college days at Fordham. I met him through Murray Rothbard during the late 1960s. Radicalism was everywhere in the air then. We libertarians -- Leonard and Murray included -- were trying to figure out if we could make common cause with the so-called "New Left." That ultimately went nowhere for what are now obvious reasons.

Leonard has spent his life building liberal and Austrian movements. I have learned much from Leonard both intellectually and about dedication to a purpose. Thank God he has come our way. Ad multos annos.