Lawrence W. Reed
Lawrence W. (“Larry”) Reed became president of FEE in 2008. Prior to that, he was a founder and president for twenty years of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan. He also taught Economics full-time and chaired the Department of Economics at Northwood University in Michigan from 1977 to 1984.
He holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Grove City College (1975) and an M.A. degree in History from Slippery Rock State University (1978), both in Pennsylvania. He holds two honorary doctorates, one from Central Michigan University (Public Administration—1993) and Northwood University (Laws—2008).
A champion for liberty, Reed has authored over 1,000 newspaper columns and articles, dozens of articles in magazines and journals in the U. S. and abroad. His writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, among many others. He has authored or co-authored five books, the most recent ones being “A Republic—If We Can Keep It” and “Striking the Root: Essays on Liberty.” He is frequently interviewed on radio talk shows and has appeared as a guest on numerous television programs, including those anchored by Judge Andrew Napolitano and John Stossel on FOX Business News.
Reed has delivered at least 75 speeches annually in the past 30 years—in virtually every state and dozens of countries from Bulgaria to China to Bolivia. His best-known lectures include “Seven Principles of Sound Policy” and “Great Myths of the Great Depression”—both of which have been translated into more than a dozen languages and distributed worldwide.
His interests in political and economic affairs have taken him as a freelance journalist to 81 countries on six continents. He is a member of the prestigious Mont Pelerin Society and an advisor to numerous organizations around the world. He served for 15 years as a member of the board (and one term as president) of the State Policy Network. His numerous recognitions include the “Champion of Freedom” award from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the “Distinguished Alumni” award from Grove City College.
He is a native of Pennsylvania and a 30-year resident of Michigan, and now resides in Newnan, Georgia.
Related Freeman Articles
Anything Peaceful
For FEE It’s Personal: The Lessons of Witch Hunts and IRS Scandals
MAY 15, 2013 by LAWRENCE W. REED
At FEE, we know firsthand what the IRS is capable of. In today's Wall Street Journal, James Bovard refers to an instance when the IRS targeted FEE and its founder, Leonard Read.
Anything Peaceful
Special Laws for Special Friends
APRIL 29, 2013 by LAWRENCE W. REED
Politicians pick winners and losers, carve out special breaks and privileges, and treat this group or that firm differently than they treat others with less clout and fewer connections. It happens all the time, and often in the name of "economic development."
Anything Peaceful
What Is Real Compassion?
APRIL 22, 2013 by LAWRENCE W. REED
In every election campaign, we hear the word "compassion" at least a thousand times. One political party supposedly has it and the other one doesn't. Big government programs are evidence of compassion; cutting back government is a sign of cold-hearted meanness. By their misuse of the term for partisan advantage, politicians have thoroughly muddied up the real meaning of the word.
Anything Peaceful
Ugliness from Ugly Ideas
APRIL 18, 2013 by LAWRENCE W. REED
The philistine statists who disgraced the streets of Britain with vulgar spasms of hate for Margaret Thatcher in the wake of her death on April 8 stunned decent people everywhere.
Our Economic Past
Is There a Speaker in the House? Part II
APRIL 18, 2013 by LAWRENCE W. REED
At the height of the silver panic of 1893, Rep. Bourke Cockran delivered one of the most eloquent, forceful explanations of the value of sound money this country has ever heard.
Our Economic Past
Is There a Speaker in the House? Part I
APRIL 17, 2013 by LAWRENCE W. REED
Two congressmen from just a few generations ago understood money and government finances better than both houses of Congress, combined, do today. This article, the first of a two-part series, recounts future President James Garfield's masterful exploration of the issue on the House floor.
Our Economic Past
John Galt at the Treasury Department
MARCH 28, 2013 by LAWRENCE W. REED
Andrew Mellon created wealth and wanted to unleash private enterprise. He puts his critics, who only want to seize and redistribute, to shame.
The Little Red Hen Goes to Re-Education Camp
MARCH 19, 2013 by LAWRENCE W. REED
A modern retelling of a classic children's story implies all sorts of destructive lessons about entitlement to other people's labor.
Feature
Snowstorms or Snowflakes?
FEBRUARY 25, 2013 by LAWRENCE W. REED
There are two basic prisms through which we can see, study, and prescribe for human society: individualism and collectivism. These worldviews are as different as night and day, and they create a great divide in the social sciences. That's because the perspective from which you see the world will set your thinking down one intellectual path or another.
Anything Peaceful
A President Who Didn't Want the Job
FEBRUARY 18, 2013 by LAWRENCE W. REED
James A. Garfield was the rare President who didn't lust after power. If not for the bullet of a crazed assassin, he might have been one of America's best.
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