By: Robert B. Bluey
Posted 03/02/06
02:37 PM
I have sad news to report this evening. Former Libertarian Party presidential candidate Harry Browne died today after a battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Although I was too young to vote in the 1996 presidential election—when Browne was the LP nominee—I remember how much more appealing he seemed than Republican Bob Dole.
The following is an obituary from Fran Griffin, president of Griffin Communications. Thanks to Jim Babka at Downsize DC Foundation & DownsizeDC.org, Inc. for putting it together.
Harry Browne, best-selling author and two-time Libertarian Party presidential nominee, died in his home in Franklin, Tennessee, Wednesday night, March 1, after a long illness. He is survived by his wife Pamela and his daughter Autumn. He was 72.
Browne broke into national prominence in the early 1970s with three best-selling books. "How You Can Profit from the Coming Devaluation" was the first to make the best-seller lists. His next book, "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World," is widely regarded as a modern libertarian classic and has gone through many printings and editions. His third book, "You Can Profit from a Monetary Crisis," reached #1 on the New York Times best-seller list. Browne was also the author of 11 other books, including "Why Government Doesn't Work" and "The Great Libertarian Offer."
Browne twice ran for President as the nominee of the Libertarian Party in 1996 and 2000. He was a frequent guest on radio and TV, both as a political and financial commentator. Browne was a co-founder of the Downsize DC Foundation and DownsizeDC.org, Inc. and a strong advocate of that organization's "Read the Bills Act," which would require Congress to read every word of every bill before voting on it.
Browne was born on June 17, 1933 in New York City. He died of Lou Gherig's disease.
Mr. Bluey, a contributing editor to Human Events, is director of the Center for Media & Public Policy at The Heritage Foundation. He maintains a blog at RobertBluey.com.
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