Murray N. Rothbard: an Obituary
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
MurrayN. Rothbard , IN MEMORIAM PREFACE BY JoANN ROTHBARD EDITED BY LLEWELLYN H. ROCKWELL, JR. Ludwig von Mises Institute Auburn, Alabama 1995 Copyright © 1995 by the Ludwig von Mises Institute, Auburn, Alabama 36849-5301 All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles. ISBN: 0-945466-19-6 CONTENTS PREFACE, BY JOANN ROTHBARD ................................................................ vii HANS F. SENNHOLZ ...................................................................................... 1 RALPH RAIco ................................................................................................ 2 RON PAUL ..................................................................................................... 5 RICHARD VEDDER .................•.........•............................................................. 7 ROCER W. GARRISON .................................................................................. 13 WALTER BLOCK ........................................................................................... 19 MARTIN ANDERSON •.•.....................................•........................................... 26 MARK THORNTON ..................................................................•.................... 27 JAMES GRANT .............................................................................................. 29 PETER G. KLEIN .......................................................................................... 31 HANS-HERMANN HOPPE ............................................................................ 33 JOSEPH SoBRAN ........................................................................................... 38 CLYDE N. WILSON ...................................................................................... 40 PAUL GOTTFRIED ......................................................................................... 49 ALAN CARLSON .......................................................................................... 54 ROBERT HIGGS ............................................................................................ 56 DAVID GORDON .......................................................................................... 61 BURTON S. BLUMERT ................................................................................... 62 SAMUEL FRANCIS ........................................................................................ 64 YURI MALTSEV ............................................................................................ 67 GARY NORTH .............................................................................................. 70 THOMAS J. DILORENZO ............................................................................... 73 JOSEPH T. SALERNO ..................................................................................... 75 JEFFREY HERBENER ...................................................................................... 85 JUSTIN RAIMONDO ....................................................................................... 89 THOMAS FLEMING ....................................................................................... 94 RONALD HAMoWY ...................................................................................... 96 DAVID I. FAND ............................................................................................ 98 JOHN V. DENSON....................................................................................... 100 LLEWELLYN H. ROCKWELL,JR ................................................................... 106 MURRAY N. ROTHBARD: AN OBITUARY .................................................... 122 CONTRIBUTORS .......................................................................................... 127 INDEX ........................................................................................................ 129 v MURRAY NEwroN ROTHBARD 1926 -1995 PREFACE Murray Rothbard had a good life. In going through the essays in this volume, one reads over and over of his enthusiasm, his optimism, his zest for life, and especially his sense of humor. He was an enthusiast for many things-Aus trian economics, libertarianism, politics, chess, German Baroque church architecture, jazz, and watching sports. He was never de pressed, always optimistic, even when, as Ralph Raico writes, opti mism seemed unrealistic. Murray will probably be best remembered for his writing, which as Mark Thornton wrote, was clear, certain, and consistent, with a punchy style, and always with a plumb line on his love of liberty. Writing came easily to him. Many times, he got up at the beginning of his day and sat down at his typewriter, still in pajamas, to write an article quickly. It would come out with his usual hard edged content. He did not mince words. Also, he did not like to write more than once about any subject, but he had plenty of ideas, so each piece he wrote was new and fresh. As Sam Francis writes, he had an instinct for combat that came out in his writing as well as his speeches. Murray was a lifelong libertarian. One nincompoop wrote, after his death, that if everyone had been a libertarian, Murray would have been something else. This, of course, is nonsense and insulting. The more liberty there was in the world, the happier he was. As Joe Salerno writes, liberty, for Murray, was not an arid abstraction, but a necessity for life. Like many funny people, he judged other people, to some extent, by whether or not they laughed at his jokes. Real friends did. And he was lucky that in Ronald Hamowy, Ralph Raico, and Burt Blumert, among others, he had genuinely humorous friends with vii Murray N. Rothbard: In Memoriam whom he could share laughs. As Walter Block writes, he lived life to the fullest, and he was a lot of fun to live with. Murray was also very gregarious. He loved parties, and was always the last to leave any gathering. As Roger Garrison notes, he was a real night owl, and became more so as he got older. Although Murray was not much interested in money, except in a theoretical sense, he managed to make a living for 40 years without having to get up before noon. This was important to him. Many writers, Bob Higgs among them, have written about the depth of Murray'S scholarship, and of his generosity in sharing it. He was a great resource on many topics---economics, American history, the history of economic thought, sports, and many others, including his favorite humorists, H. L. Mencken and S. J. Perelman. There is a story, not apocryphal I think, of a graduate student who mentioned to Murray a thesis topic he was considering. The next day he received a 12-page single-spaced letter, with suggestions for sources to investigate. Murray was proud of his library, which numbers thousands of volumes. As it expanded, he found that he was able to write whole scholarly articles, using just the resources in his own home. For many years, Murray worked almost alone in spreading Austrian economics. Gradually more students became interested in this discipline. Unfortunately, some of them went off on a wrong path and distorted Austrianism. When Lew Rockwell founded the Ludwig von Mises Institute in 1982, there was finally a center for true Misesian Austrian economics. And with The Review of Austrian Economics there was an organ for the publication of authentic Aus trian articles. These were very gratifying events for Murray. However the most fun he had in his later years was writing for The Rothbard-Rockwell Report. Imagine being a libertarian with an opinion on everything going on in the world and being able to write and publish your ideas. What joy! Working with Lew Rockwell on the RAE and RRR made Mur ray's final decade immeasurably brighter. Each weekday, and often on weekends, Murray's day began with a conversation with Lew viii Murray N. Rothbard: In Memoriam on the phone. Gales of laughter would shake the house or apart ment, as they checked in with each other. Murray thought it was the best possible way to start a day. Of course he died too young. Think of the books he would have written if he had had more time, the articles, and how he would have continued to light up the lives of those who knew and loved him, at least one of whom now finds life "stale, flat, and unprofit able." But Murray left a wonderful legacy of writing and memories, and-as this volume shows-many friends. - JOANN ROTHBARD ix Murray N. Rothbard: In Memoriam HANS F. SENNHOLZ Foundation for Economic Education n January 7, 1995, Murray Rothbard departed this mortal life O so that he may join the immortals. Sudden death delivered him from his daily chores and put his task in other hands. Those of us who were privileged to know Murray Rothbard have lost a dear colleague who inspired us with his incisive observations, brilliant reflections, and always keen and sparkling remarks. His departure from the stage of life is a loss to the whole libertarian world which he helped to forge and mend. He was not only one of the greatest economists of our generation but also a great social and political thinker. His was a powerful mind comparable to those of his teacher, Ludwig von Mises, and his teacher, Eugen von Bohm-Bawerk. Murray was an indefatigable worker, the author of an unend ing stream of books and booklets, essays and articles, many of which have been translated into foreign languages. Several are masterpieces which are