John M. Olin Foundation
| Formation | 1953 |
|---|---|
| Founder | John M. Olin |
| Dissolved | November 29, 2005 |
| Type | Conservative grant-making foundation |
| Legal status | Inactive |
| Headquarters | Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
Official language | English |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Conservatism in the United States |
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The John M. Olin Foundation was a
think tanks, media outlets, and law programs at influential universities. It is most notable for its early support and funding of the law and economics movement and the Federalist Society. "All in all, the Federalist Society has been one of the best investments the foundation ever made," wrote the Foundation to its trustees in 2003.[1]
Mission statement
According to the official website, "the general purpose of the John M. Olin Foundation is to provide support for projects that reflect or are intended to strengthen the economic, political and cultural institutions upon which the American heritage of constitutional government and private enterprise is based. The Foundation also seeks to promote a general understanding of these institutions by encouraging the thoughtful study of the connections between economic and political freedoms, and the cultural heritage that sustains them."[2]
History
From 1958-1966, the foundation was used to launder money for the
anti-communist propaganda.[3] The fund was largely inactive until 1969, when John M. Olin was disturbed by the Willard Straight Hall takeover at his alma mater, Cornell University. At the age of 80, he decided that he must pour his time and resources into preserving the free market system.[4]
The Foundation is most notable for its early support and funding of the
cost-benefit analysis to the field of legal theory.[citation needed
]
The
leverage buyout pioneer who was United States Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, was president of the Foundation from 1977 until his death in 2000.[6] He frequently discussed the foundation's commitment to supporting the "counter-intelligentsia". Conservative scholar James Piereson was the last executive director[5]
and secretary.
The foundation supported conservative thinkers such as
Franklin W. Olin Foundation, which was established by John Olin's father, Franklin W. Olin. The Franklin W. Olin Foundation also shut down for donor intent reasons, but the two foundations were entirely independent and unrelated, except for the family connection of their founders.[9]
According to the
conservative think tanks and intellectuals—the architects of today's sprawling right-wing movement—for a quarter-century."[6]
Notable persons
- James Piereson – past executive director and board member
- Peter M. Flanigan– past director
- Charles F. Knight – past director
- William E. Simon - past president
Sponsored professorships
There are several dozen John M. Olin Professors at universities and law schools around the world, including:
- John M. Olin Professor at Fordham University (formerly Ernest van den Haag)
- John M. Olin Professor at George Mason University (currently Walter E. Williams)
- John M. Olin Professor at Yale Law School (currently George L. Priest)
- John M. Olin Professor at Georgetown University (formerly Walter F. Berns)
See also
References
- ^ Miller, John J. (Fall 2001). "A Federalist Solution". Philanthropy. Philanthropy Roundtable. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ Jmof.org Archived March 5, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right. Anchor Books. p. 127.
- ^ "Ripples from a past protest". www.chronicle.com. April 17, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Miller, John J. "John Olin". Philanthropy Roundtable. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ New York Observer. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ "Articles About Heather Mac Donald". The New York Times. November 4, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
Heather Mac Donald is a contributing editor of City Journal and the John M. Olin Fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Her latest book, co-written with Victor Davis Hanson and Steven Malanga, is The Immigration Solution.
- ^ Piereson, James (March–April 2002). "The Insider's Guide to Spend Down: Switching off the lights at the Olin Foundation". Philanthropy. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
- ^ Miller, John J. (2006). A Gift of Freedom: How the John M. Olin Foundation Changed America. San Francisco: Encounter.
Further reading
- ISBN 1-59403-117-7
- ISBN 978-0307947901
External links
- Jason DeParle, "Goals Reached, Donor on Right Closes Up Shop" (May 29, 2005), The New York Times.
- John M. Olin Center for Inquiry into the Theory and Practice of Democracy
- National Review Online: "Foundation's End," by John J. Miller Archived May 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- "Muscular Philanthropy: Tough love and the John M. Olin Foundation", Townhall.com, November 15, 2005 Archived November 17, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- "John M. Olin Foundation Internal Revenue Service filings". ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
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