History
Established in 1946 to study and advance libertarianism, classical liberalism, and freedom-focused philosophies, the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is the oldest free-market organization in the United States. Murray Rothbard recognized FEE for creating a "crucial open center" that he credits with launching the movement.
In 1946, FEE was founded by Leonard Read of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Donaldson Brown of General Motors Corporation, Professors Leo Wolman of Columbia University and Fred R. Fairchild of Yale University, Henry Hazlitt of the New York Times, Claude Robinson of Opinion Research Corporation, and David Goodrich of B. F. Goodrich. The William Volker Fund contributed financial support to FEE. Read's efforts provided a base for the international post World War II libertarian movement. Friedrich Hayek credits FEE as part of the inspiration for the formation of the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947. Plehwe, Walpen, and Neunhöffer argue that FEE directly supported the Mont Pelerin Society.
The initial officers of FEE included Read as president, Hazlitt as vice-president, and Goodrich as chairman. Read served as president from 1946 to 1983. Perry E. Gresham immediately followed his friend Read as president of FEE in 1983 until 1984. After retiring from Grove City College where he taught economics, Hans Sennholz served as president of the Foundation from 1992 to 1997. Former Chair of the Department of Economics at George Mason University, Donald J. Boudreaux served as president of the Foundation from 1997 to 2001. Mark Skousen served as president from 2001 to 2002. After the controversial decision to invite Rudy Giuliani to be the keynote speaker at FEE's annual Liberty Banquet for a $30,000 honorarium, the Board of Trustees asked for Skousen's resignation. Richard Ebeling served as president from 2003 to 2008. Lawrence Reed became the current president in 2008.
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“The only history is a mere question of one’s struggle inside oneself. But that is the joy of it. One need neither discover Americas nor conquer nations, and yet one has as great a work as Columbus or Alexander, to do.”
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