David Boaz, who served over four decades at the libertarian Cato Institute, passed away on Friday, June 7 after a battle with cancer.
“David made an incalculable contribution to building Cato into the respected institution and voice it is today, as well as to the ‘mainstreaming’ of libertarianism as a legitimate political philosophy worthy of a seat at the table in all of the nation’s policy debates,” wrote Cato president and CEO Peter Goettler in a post announcing his passing.
Indeed, Boaz committed his life to the fight for limited government, individual liberty and peace.
Born in Kentucky in 1953, Boaz was long interested in politics. After graduating from Vanderbilt University, he worked with the conservative Young Americans for Freedom, before realizing his libertarian sensibilities were distinct from standard American conservatism. Boaz would go on to work on the Libertarian presidential campaign of Ed Clark and for the free market Council for a Competitive Economy before landing at the Cato Institute in 1981.
There Boaz would remain for the duration of his life.
Over the years he would write op-eds and books making the case for the libertarian perspective and reach a broader audience through the media on radio, television and ultimately online.
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His 1998 book “Libertarianism: A Primer” sought to make accessible the philosophy which he committed his life to promoting. “Libertarianism is the view that each person has the right to live his life in any way that he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others,” he wrote. “Libertarians defend each person’s right to life, liberty, and property — rights that people possess naturally, before governments are created.”
He would also edit and publish “The Libertarian Reader: Classic & Contemporary Writings from Lao-Tzu to Milton Friedman” which makes apparent that the libertarian approach follows a deep intellectual tradition.
Boaz’s commitment to the philosophy of liberty allowed him to transcend the standard, hysterical politics of the day and put what’s been going on in context. With the passing of Boaz, the liberty movement has lost a standard bearer.
May David Boaz’s life and ideas never be forgotten.
