History
In 1967 Charles Edison took the first steps toward establishing the institution that is known today as The Fund for American Studies. Edison was a former governor of New Jersey, Secretary of the Navy and son of inventor Thomas Alva Edison.
Concerned about an eroding confidence in the American system of government, Edison recruited Walter H. Judd, David R. Jones, Marvin Liebman, and William F. Buckley, Jr., to build a program that would educate college students about American government, politics, and economics.
On February 6, 1967, the group incorporated the Charles Edison Youth Fund. In 1969 Governor Edison died suddenly. To honor him and carry on his mission, the organization was renamed the Charles Edison Memorial Youth Fund. In 1985 the organization was renamed again to its present-day title, The Fund for American Studies. In the summer of 1970, the Edison Fund organized the inaugural Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems. Fifty-seven students attended the first Institute.
TFAS has since grown to include 11 domestic and international Institutes with more than 13,000 alumni from across the United State and abroad. In 2007, TFAS celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Read more about this topic: The Fund For American Studies
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