Llewellyn Harrison Rockwell Jr. (born July 1, 1944) is an American author, editor, and political consultant. A libertarian and a self-professed anarcho-capitalist,[1] he founded and is the chairman of the Mises Institute, a non-profit promoting the Austrian School of economics.
After graduating from university, Rockwell had jobs at the conservative Arlington House Publishers, the radical-right John Birch Society, and the traditionalist Hillsdale College.[2][3] Reading the works of Murray Rothbard, who became his mentor, led Rockwell to become an ardent believer in Austrian economics and what he calls "libertarian anarchism". Rockwell was chief of staff to Congressman Ron Paul from 1978 to 1982, and was a founding officer and former vice president at Ron Paul & Associates, which published political and investment-oriented newsletters bearing Paul's name.[4][5] Racist and homophobic content in those newsletters became a controversy in Paul's later campaigns; Rockwell denied ghostwriting it but acknowledged a role in the promotion.[6][7] Rockwell partnered with Rothbard in 1982 to found the Mises Institute in Alabama, where as of 2024[update], Rockwell still serves as chairman.[8]
Rockwell's website, LewRockwell.com, was launched in 1999. The website features articles about political philosophy, economics, and contemporary politics. The website's motto is "anti-war, anti-state, pro-market". Rockwell, his website and the Mises Institute have promoted neo-Confederate views.[9][3][10][11]
A former lifetime member of the radical-right John Birch Society, Rockwell worked in its Member's Monthly Message Department before resigning amid disputes with the society's leaders.[when?][3] In the mid-1970s, Rockwell worked at the traditionalist Hillsdale College in fundraising and public relations.[12][2]
Rockwell met the anarcho-capitalist Murray Rothbard in 1975 and credits Rothbard with convincing him to abandon minarchism and reject the state completely.[13][12] In 1985, Rockwell was named a contributing editor to Conservative Digest.[14] Rockwell also served as Vice President of the Center for Libertarian StudiesinBurlingame, California,[when?] which published the Rothbard-Rockwell Report.[15] Rockwell was closely associated with Rothbard until Rothbard's death in 1995.
Rockwell was Ron Paul's congressional chief of staff from 1978 to 1982[16][17] and was a consultant to Paul's 1988 Libertarian Party campaign for President of the United States.[18] He was vice-chair of the exploratory committee for Paul's run for the 1992 Republican Party nomination for president.[19]
Rockwell was a founding officer and former vice president at Ron Paul & Associates,[20] which was one of the publishers of a variety of political and investment-oriented newsletters bearing Paul's name.[4][5]
In January 2008, during Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign, James KirchickofThe New Republic uncovered a collection of Ron Paul newsletters that contained "decades worth of obsession with conspiracies, sympathy for the right-wing militia movement, and deeply held bigotry against blacks, Jews, and gays."[5][21] For instance, one issue approved of the slogan "Sodomy = Death" and said homosexuals suffering from HIV/AIDS "enjoy the pity and attention that comes with being sick".[5]
Most of the articles contained no bylines.[5] Numerous sources alleged that Rockwell had ghostwritten the controversial newsletters;[22] Rockwell is listed as "contributing editor" on physical copies of some newsletters[23][24] and listed as sole Editor of the May 1988 "Ron Paul investment Newsletter".[25]Reason magazine reported that『a half-dozen longtime libertarian activists – including some still close to Paul』had identified Rockwell as the "chief ghostwriter" of the newsletters,[20] as did former Ron Paul Chief of Staff (1981–1985) John W. Robbins.[26]
Rockwell admitted to Kirchick that he was "involved in the promotion" of the newsletters and wrote the subscription letters but denied ghostwriting the articles. He said there were "seven or eight freelancers involved at various stages" of the newsletter's history and indicated another individual who had "left in unfortunate circumstances" and "is now long gone", but whom he did not identify, was in charge of editing and publishing the newsletters.[6] Rockwell has described discussion of the newsletters scandal as "hysterical smears aimed at political enemies."[27] Ron Paul himself repudiated the newsletters' content and said he was not involved in the daily operations of the newsletters or saw much of their content until years later.[22] In 2011, Paul's spokesperson Jesse Benton said that Paul had "taken moral responsibility because they appeared under his name and slipped through under his watch".[28]
In 1982, Rockwell founded the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, and is chairman of the board.[29]
The Mises Institute published Rockwell's Speaking of Liberty, an anthology of editorials which were originally published on his website, along with transcripts from some of his speaking engagements. The institute hosted conferences on secession;[9] Rockwell wrote before a 1995 conference, "We'll explore what causes [secession] and how to promote it."[5]
In a 2007 interview, Rockwell revealed he no longer considered himself a "paleolibertarian" and was "happy with the term libertarian." He explained "the term paleolibertarian became confused because of its association with paleoconservative, so it came to mean some sort of socially conservative libertarian, which wasn't the point at all...."[32]
Rockwell's website, LewRockwell.com, formed in 1999, features articles and blog entries by various columnists and writers.[13] Its motto is "anti-war, anti-state, pro-market".[33] There also is a weekly podcast called The Lew Rockwell Show.[34] As of March 2017[update], it was in the top 10,000 websites in the United States.[35] LewRockwell.com publishes articles questioning United States participation in World War II, opposing "economic fascism" and supporting Austrian economics and secessionism.[36][third-party source needed] The website is primarily home to right-libertarian authors, although left-wing anti-war writers have been featured.[37][third-party source needed] The academic Tanni Haas wrote in his 2011 book on political bloggers that of the 20 figures he interviewed, "none have more radical views" than Rockwell, whose avowed goal was to "do everything he can to undermine the state".[38]
^"About". LewRockwell.com. Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
^ abDoherty, Brian (2009). Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement. United States: PublicAffairs. ISBN9780786731886.
^ abcDallek, Matthew (2023). Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right. United States: Basic Books.
^ abThe newsletters had various names: Dr. Ron Paul's Freedom Report (OCLC38365640, 15124395), The Ron Paul Survival Report (OCLC27301727), the Ron Paul Investment Letter (OCLC27301651), and the Ron Paul Political Report (OCLC31695178).
^"Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr". mises.org. Mises Institute. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
^ abSebesta, Edward H.; Hague, Euan; Beirich, Heidi, eds. (2009). Neo-Confederacy: A Critical Introduction. United States: University of Texas Press. pp. 33–34.
^Berlet, Chip. The Write Stuff: U. S. Serial Print Culture from Conservatives out to Neonazis,Library Trends – Volume 56, Number 3, Winter 2008, pp. 570–600.
^Weisberg, J. (1991). "Hunter Gatherers". New Republic. Vol. 205, n. 10. pp. 14–16.
^Rockwell, Llewellyn (January 8, 2008). "The New 'Republic'". LewRockwell.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
^Goldberg, Jonah (March 7, 2001). "Farewell, Lew Rockwell. The final word". National Review. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. The site also features regular screeds about how Abraham Lincoln was a murderous war criminal, how the American military is a hotbed of criminal imperialism and murderous warmongering, and why Southern secession not only was honorable and noble but how it still is a viable option. In this article, Goldberg was responding to criticisms of another article he had written about the website.
^Gorski, David (June 22, 2009). "Cranks, quacks, and peer-review."Archived 2022-04-08 at the Wayback Machine Science-based medicine. Author is Assistant Professor of Medicine (Surgery) at Wayne State University (holding an M.D. and Ph.D. in Cellular Biology from Case Western University)