Few have had as large an impact.
CEI (11/24/24) eulogizes: "When I was fresh out of college, I attended a large classical liberal conference. After one day’s sessions wrapped up, I had dinner at a table with a veteran Washington journalist who gave me the best career advice I ever received: 'If you ever have the chance, get a job working for Fred Smith.' I had heard of Fred and the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), the organization he and his wife Fran founded. But I didn’t know much about them. My sudden mentor filled in a few of the gaps. CEI had a more freewheeling personality than other think tanks, which is still true today. Fred himself was the same way. He was gregarious, whip-smart, stubbornly principled, and he was fun. Everybody in Washington knew Fred, and Fred knew everybody. Even people who disagreed with everything he stood for couldn’t help but like him. He was always smiling and laughing, even when making serious intellectual arguments. People around him couldn’t help but take on some of his joy. Fred was a Washington institution, in a good way. It’s sad and a bit weird to write 'was' instead of 'is.' Fred passed away on November 23, 2024, peacefully and at home. He was 83...Thank you for everything, Fred. You and Fran started something wonderful, and now we’ll keep it going. It was a joy working with you. And it was an even greater joy knowing you."
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"The U.S. approach to environmental policy does not export well. That realization—coupled with the understanding that classical liberal institutions are far more compatible with mankind’s nature, and that private property, markets, and contracts are the most effective ways of mobilizing the ingenuity and energies of the peoples of the world— should give us the courage to proceed."
– Fred L. Smith, Jr.,
The Competitive Enterprise Institute
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