David Boaz | |
|---|---|
 Boaz in 2018 | |
| Born | David Douglas Boaz (1953-08-29)August 29, 1953 Mayfield, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | June 7, 2024(2024-06-07) (aged 70) |
| Occupation |
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| Alma mater | Vanderbilt University (BA) |
| Subject | Libertarianism in the United States |
| Partner | Steve Miller |
David Douglas Boaz (/ˈboʊz/; August 29, 1953 – June 7, 2024) was alibertarian author, philosopher and editor. He was a distinguished senior fellow and the executive vice president of theCato Institute, an American libertarianthink tank. Boaz was a prominent advocate forindividual liberty,limited government,free markets, andnon-interventionist foreign policy.
Boaz authored several works on libertarian philosophy, includingLibertarianism: A Primer andThe Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom.[1] He was an early proponent ofcivil liberties,marriage equality,drug policy reform, andschool choice, contributing to the mainstream acceptance of these issues in public discourse.[2][3] Boaz is regarded as a key figure in the development and promotion of modern libertarian thought.
Boaz was born on August 29, 1953, inMayfield, Kentucky.[4] His father was a judge, and one of his uncles, through marriage, wasFrank Stubblefield, who served as aDemocratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives.[5] Boaz studied history atVanderbilt University from 1971 to 1975, and as a young man was involved with theYoung Americans for Freedom and theCollege Republicans.[5][6]
Boaz eventually parted with the conservative movement, and worked onEd Clark's campaigns for governor of California in1978 and for president in1980.[5] Around this time, he joined theCato Institute.[5]
He was the author ofLibertarianism: A Primer, published in 1997 by theFree Press and described in theLos Angeles Times as "a well-researched manifesto of libertarian ideas."[7] He was also the editor ofThe Libertarian Reader and co-editor of theCato Handbook for Congress (2003) and theCato Handbook on Policy (2005). He frequently discussed on national television and radio shows such topics aseducation choice, the growth of government, theownership society, his support ofdrug legalization as a consequence of the individual right toself-determination,[8][9][10] anon-interventionist foreign policy,[11] and the rise of libertarianism. Boaz said his views were informed byclassical liberalism and opposed to populism.[5] He expressed skepticism of party politics and did not join theLibertarian Party.[5]
His articles were also published inThe Wall Street Journal,The Washington Post,Los Angeles Times,National Review, andSlate.[4][12] He appeared onABC'sPolitically Incorrect,CNN'sCrossfire,NPR'sTalk of the Nation andAll Things Considered,Fox News Channel,BBC,Voice of America andRadio Free Europe.[13] A graduate ofVanderbilt University, he was once the editor ofThe New Guard magazine and was executive director of the Council for a Competitive Economy prior to joining Cato.[14] In 2022, he retired as executive vice president of Cato and was named a distinguished senior fellow.[5] He continued to write and appear on television until shortly before his death.[5]
Boaz, who was openly gay, was with his partner, Steve Miller, for over 30 years.[4] He was ateetotaler.[5]
Boaz died fromesophageal cancer at his home inArlington County, Virginia, on June 7, 2024, at the age of 70.[4][5]
