David Boaz 1953-2024

Eammon Butler

Colleagues and I are sad to learn of the death of our good friend and fellow freedom-fighter David Boaz, Distinguished Senior Fellow and former Executive Vice President of the Cato Institute.

He will of course be remembered for his many books, notably Libertarianism: A Primer (1997), which set out the principles of libertarianism and justified their adoption. In similar vein, he also published The Libertarian Reader, which brought together ideas and articles on libertarianism from a wide variety of sources, and The Libertarian Mind (2015), described as a ‘manifesto for freedom’. And as the head of Cato’s output for many years, he also produced Handbook publications designed to guide Washington policymakers on sound economic and social policy, and oversaw the Cato Journal.

David relished public debate, bringing attention to controversial libertarian ideas such as the decriminalisation of drugs. His articles appeared in the major US newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Washington Post, as well as leading magazines such as National Review and New Guard, of which he was a former editor. He was a feisty and penetratingly intelligent debater in TV and radio discussions such as CNN’s Crossfire and ABC’s Politically Incorrect. He conducted such interviews with characteristic charm and cheerfulness, even in his last months when he was undergoing medical treatment for cancer.

David joined Cato in 1981 after being Executive Director of the Council for a Competitive Economy. He quickly made his mark and became a mainstay — perhaps the mainstay — of the organisation. Always welcoming and full of ideas, and ever critiquing the latest nonsense to emerge from Capitol Hill or the bureaucracy, he drew countless numbers of people, particularly students, into the freedom movement. He encouraged and supported the intellectual progress of many who would go on to become significant