Dr. Tom G. Palmer named to newly established George M. Yeager Chair for Advancing Liberty
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WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 10, 2016 — Dr. Tom G. Palmer has been named the George M. Yeager Chair for Advancing Liberty at Atlas Network. Palmer has devoted his life to the promotion of the common-sense principles of liberty in the United States and worldwide. He has created and taught numerous educational programs, authored and edited books, overseen book and article translations into many languages, launched innovative programs and think tanks, and managed efforts that serve a worldwide network of think tanks, all advancing the classical liberal agenda of free trade and enterprise, limited government, peace, and individual liberty.
“Tom Palmer is recognized around the world as one of freedom’s most energetic, effective, and erudite champions,” said Atlas Network CEO Brad Lips. “It’s fitting that Tom has been named to the George M. Yeager Chair for Advancing Liberty. Our entire network is grateful for the generosity of Mr. Yeager, who shares the same passion for liberty and common sense.”
Palmer’s experience promoting liberty dates back to the 1970s in the United States, but it took a dramatic international turn in the 1980s when he smuggled pro-liberty books, as well as photocopiers and fax machines, into Soviet Bloc countries. There, he taught the ideas of liberty and organized publication of the first non-Marxist textbooks in economics, in addition to helping establish numerous free-market think tanks. His daily work today at Atlas Network involves extensive travel to visit Atlas Network partners throughout the world, to lecture and teach at their events, and to help them establish and improve local projects to implement the principles of free markets, individual liberty, and peace.
His most recent book, Self-Control or State Control? You Decide (August 2016), has been praised by Nobel laureate economist Vernon L. Smith as “an important book … in the tradition of Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments.” Economist and historian Deirdre McCloskey called it “an amazing guide on how you and I can grow into liberty,” while federal Judge Douglas Ginsburg (U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia) called it “a rich source of insights into the classical liberal vision of what is possible if only we take back what we have too readily conceded to the state.” Entrepreneur John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, wrote, “If I were a young person pursuing a productive and rewarding life, I’d buy a copy of this book and study it carefully.”
Lips cited Palmer’s writings in history, economics, ethics, and development as “reflecting Tom’s unique global understanding of the role that liberty plays in the achievement of human dignity and prosperity.” He added, “Tom and George Yeager both appreciate the role of liberty in every culture and society. Tom’s approach complements Yeager’s extensive global travel and business experience, as Tom’s last keynote address at the Asia Liberty Forum in Kuala Lumpur, ‘Is Liberty an Asian Value’ demonstrates. He and George share a deep understanding of the universal value of freedom and of free enterprise in advancing human well-being.”
Dr. Palmer is the author of Realizing Freedom: Libertarian Theory, History, and Practice; and the editor of The Morality of Capitalism: What Your Professors Won’t Tell You; The Economics of Freedom: What Your Professors Won’t Tell You; After the Welfare State: Politicians Stole Your Future… You Can Get It Back; Why Liberty: Your Life, Your Choices, Your Future; Peace, Love, & Liberty; and Self-Control or State Control? You Decide. Palmer’s books have been translated into dozens of languages and distributed throughout the world. He received his doctorate in politics from Oxford University, his master’s in philosophy from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and his bachelor’s in liberal arts from St. Johns College in Annapolis, Md.