The Philadelphia Society is a membership organization the purpose of which is "to sponsor the interchange of ideas through discussion and writing, in the interest of deepening the intellectual foundation of a free and ordered society, and of broadening the understanding of its basic principles and traditions". The membership of the Society tends to be composed of persons holding conservative or

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...

political views, and many of those associated with the Society have exercised considerable influence over the development of the conservative movement in the United States.

History

The Philadelphia Society was founded in 1964 by Donald Lipsett in conjunction with William F. Buckley Jr.,

Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (; July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the ...

, Frank Meyer, and

Ed Feulner Edwin John Feulner Jr. (born August 12, 1941) is a former think tank executive who founded the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation and served as its president from 1977 to 2013 and again from 2017 to 2018. Feulner's positions have in ...

. Former Presidents of the Society include

Henry Regnery Henry Regnery (1912–1996) was a conservative American publisher who founded the newspaper ''Human Events'' (1944) and the Henry Regnery Company (1947) and published Russell Kirk's ''The Conservative Mind'' (1953). Jeffrey O. Nelson, 'Henry Reg ...

, Edwin Feulner, Russell Kirk, Mel Bradford, Forrest McDonald, T. Kenneth Cribb, M. Stanton Evans, Ellis Sandoz, Edwin Meese, Claes G. Ryn, Midge Decter,

Roger Ream Roger R. Ream (born November 12, 1954 in Neenah, Wisconsin, United States) is the president of The Fund for American Studies (TFAS). The mission of TFAS is "to change the world by developing leaders for a free society." Education Ream receiv ...

, Steven F. Hayward, Lee Edwards, William F. Buckley Jr., and

George H. Nash George H. Nash (born April 1, 1945) is an American historian and interpreter of American conservatism. He is a biographer of Herbert Hoover. He is best known for ''The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945'', which first appeare ...

. Notable speakers at past meetings of the Society have included Larry Arnhart,

Andrew Bacevich Andrew J. Bacevich Jr. (, ; born July 5, 1947) is an American historian specializing in international relations, security studies, American foreign policy, and American diplomatic and military history. He is a Professor Emeritus of International ...

, Wendell Berry, Robert Bork, Mel Bradford,

Warren T. Brookes Warren T. Brookes (1929 – December 28, 1991) was a journalist with the ''Boston Herald'' and the '' Detroit News'' and a nationally syndicated columnist known for his conservative political and economic views. Biography Brookes graduated in ...

, William F. Buckley Jr., Vladimir Bukovsky, Ronald Coase, T. Kenneth Cribb, Midge Decter, M. Stanton Evans, Edwin Feulner, Milton Friedman, George Gilder, Victor Davis Hanson, William Hague,

S. I. Hayakawa Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa (July 18, 1906 – February 27, 1992) was a Canadian-born American academic and politician of Japanese ancestry. A professor of English, he served as president of San Francisco State University and then as U.S. Senator from ...

, Friedrich von Hayek, Henry Hazlitt, W.H. Hutt, Herman Kahn, Russell Kirk,

Irving Kristol Irving Kristol (; January 22, 1920 – September 18, 2009) was an American journalist who was dubbed the "godfather of neoconservatism". As a founder, editor, and contributor to various magazines, he played an influential role in the intellectua ...

, Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, Forrest McDonald, Edwin Meese, Frank Meyer, Charles Murray, Robert Nisbet,

Michael Novak Michael John Novak Jr. (September 9, 1933 – February 17, 2017) was an American Catholic philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat. The author of more than forty books on the philosophy and theology of culture, Novak is most widely known ...

, Richard Pipes,

Norman Podhoretz Norman Podhoretz (; born January 16, 1930) is an American magazine editor, writer, and conservative political commentator, who identifies his views as " paleo- neoconservative".

, Henry Regnery,

William A. Rusher William Allen Rusher (July 19, 1923 – April 16, 2011) was an American lawyer, author, activist, and conservative columnist. He was one of the founders of the conservative movement and was one of its most prominent spokesmen for thirty years as ...

, Paul Ryan, Ellis Sandoz, Shelby Steele, George J. Stigler, Terry Teachout, Edward H. Teller, and Eric Voegelin.Philadelphia Society: About
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Notable members

Manuel Ayau Manuel Francisco Ayau Cordón (December 27, 1925 – August 4, 2010) was the founder of the Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala. He was born in Guatemala City, on December 27, 1925. After diverse studies, he obtained a B.S. in mechanica ...

Stephen Balch Stephen H. Balch is an American conservative scholar and higher education reformer. He was the founding president of the National Association of Scholars from 1987 to 2009. Biography Early life Balch was born on January 31, 1944, into a Jewish ...

* Richard Cornuelle *

Donald J. Devine Donald J. Devine (born 1937) is an American political scientist, author, former government official and politician who has studied, written and promoted the philosophy of conservative fusionism as taught to him by the U.S. philosopher Frank Meye ...

* Mark C. Henrie * G. Philip Hughes * Giancarlo Ibarguen *

Wilfred M. McClay Wilfred M. McClay (born 1951) is an American academic currently on the faculty of Hillsdale College. Early life and education McClay graduated from St. John's College, and received a Ph.D. in history from Johns Hopkins University in 1987.Wilfred ...

* William Murchison * Jacqueline E. Schafer * Jane S. Shaw * Lowell C. Smith

References

External links

*
Organizational Profile
– National Center for Charitable Statistics ( Urban Institute) {{Authority control Conservative organizations in the United States Libertarian organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 1964 Political and economic think tanks in the United States