Foundation for Economic Education

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The FEE logo

The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) is "one of the oldest free-market organizations" established in the United States specifically "to study and advance the freedom philosophy." The FEE promotes, researches and promulgates free-market, classical liberal, and libertarian ideas through its monthly magazine, The Freeman, as well as through pamphlets, lectures, and academic sponsorship. It also publishes reprints of classic libertarian texts, and arranges seminars for American public figures.

History

FEE was founded in 1946 by Leonard Read, general manager of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, for whom "the free-enterprise philosophy had already become almost a religion" The William Volker Fund was instrumental in subsidizing FEE's establishment. FEE's initial officers included Read as president, Henry Hazlitt as vice-president, and B. F. Goodrich chairman David Goodrich as chairman.

Many libertarians have credited Read's effort as one of the bases for the international post-War libertarian movement. For instance, Friedrich Hayek was apparently inspired partly by FEE when he formed the Mont Pelerin Society in 1947.

Hans Sennholz, a retired economics professor at Grove City College, served as president of the Foundation from 1992 to 1997, and Donald J. Boudreaux, now Chairman of the Department of Economics at George Mason University, served as president of the Foundation from 1997 to 2001. Mark Skousen served as president from 2001 to 2002. After his controversial decision to invite Rudy Giuliani to be the keynote speaker at FEE's annual Liberty Banquet – including paying Giuliani a $30,000 honorarium – which did not sit well with most FEE members, the Board of Trustees asked for Skousen's resignation.

In May 2003, Richard Ebeling became president. He announced at the April 12, 2008 "Evening at FEE" that he was leaving FEE to accept a position at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. On July 21, 2008, FEE announced that Lawrence Reed has been named the new president, effective September 1, 2008.

Headquarters

The Foundation is located in Irvington, New York on a seven-acre 19th-century estate at 30 South Broadway with a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m²) main building, the "Big House", with offices, library and archives, classroom, a commercial kitchen, a formal dining room, a large reception lounge, and a men's dormitory. Women stay in the Carriage House dormitory, next to the main building.

The "Big House" was built in 1889 by Dr. Carroll Dunham, who called it "Hillside". Shortly after Dunham's death in 1923, the estate was sold to Gordon Harris, the son of William R. Harris, who founded the American Tobacco Company. The younger Harris was then Vice President of the United States Lines shipping company, and he and his family lived on the estate until 1946, after which the estate was maintained by a caretaker until it was sold to Leonard Read, who bought it to be the headquraters of his new organization.

The Colonial Revival mansion house had 34 rooms with 16 fireplaces (which are not all now in use), gables and bay windows, a large staircase, some glass designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, who lived in Irvington, and walls of mahogany panelling. The grounds were designed by Charles Eliot, who also planned the Boston park system with later alterations ny Frederick Law Olmstead, the co-creator of New York City's Central Park.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Henry Hazlitt, The Early History of FEE, The Freeman, Foundation for Economic Education, March 1984, Vol. 34, No. 3.
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External links

• Foundation for Economic Education official web site
• Template:FrFoundation for Economic Education on Wikibéral