Antony Fisher
Encyclopedia
Sir Antony Fisher was one of the most influential background players in the global rise of libertarian
think-tanks during the second half of the twentieth century, founding the Institute of Economic Affairs
and the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
. Through Atlas, he helped establish up to 150 other think-tanks worldwide. The most prominent include:
Fisher was educated at Eton College
and during the Second World War served in the Royal Air Force
alongside his younger brother who was killed in the Battle of Britain
. These events profoundly affected him and he dedicated his life to what he saw as the fight against totalitarianism.
After Word War II Fisher was deeply alarmed by the election of a Labour government, the nationalization of industry, and the introduction of central economic planning. This sentiment moved Fisher to read Road to Serfdom by Austrian economist F. A. Hayek which deeply influenced his thinking. Fisher sought out Hayek that year at the London School of Economics
where he taught and talked enthusiastically about his plans to go into politics. Hayek, however, convinced him that think-tanks were the best medium for effecting political change.
In 1952, Fisher undertook a study trip to the United States, where he visited the still-new Foundation for Economic Education
(FEE). F. A. Harper
of the FEE introduced Fisher to former colleagues from the Agriculture Department of Cornell University
, who showed him intensive chicken farming techniques with which Fisher was very impressed. Fisher returned home to start England's first battery cage
chicken farm, Buxted Chickens, which eventually made him a millionaire.
Fisher used his fortune to set up the influential Institute of Economic Affairs
with Ralph Harris
in 1955.
operation), in 1971 he founded the International Institute for Economic Research, which went to spawn both the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
in 1980 and the International Policy Network
in 2001. Through these operations, Fisher provided financial and operational support for a huge number of fledgling think-tanks, most of which would not exist without his influence.
It was through the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
that Fisher was able to extend his beliefs worldwide. By 1984, Fisher was watching over eighteen institutions in eleven countries. http://www.libertyhaven.com/theoreticalorphilosophicalissues/history/earlyhistory.html Today, Atlas supports and works with around 150 libertarian think-tanks.
In his book Thinking the unthinkable, Richard Cockett sketched Fisher's role in supporting other emerging think-tanks around the world. Cockett wrote, "On the strength of his reputation with the IEA, he was invited in 1975 to become co-director of the Fraser Institute
in Vancouver, founded by the Canadian businessman T. Patrick Boyle in 1974. Fisher let the young director of the Fraser Institute, Dr Michael Walker
, get on with the intellectual output of the Institute (just as he had given free rein to Seldon and Harris at the IEA) while he himself concentrated on the fund-raising side".
Cockett explained that after his success at the Fraser Institute, Fisher went to New York where in 1977 he set up the International Center for Economic Policy Studies (ICEPS), later renamed the Manhattan Institute
. "The incorporation documents for the ICEPS were signed by prominent attorney Bill Casey
, later Director of the Central Intelligence Agency".
Cockett comments that "under the directorship of William Hammett the Manhattan Institute became probably Fishers greatest success after the IEA".
In 1977, Cockett wrote, Fisher moved to San Francisco "with his second wife Dorian, who he had met through the Mont Pelerin Society
, and founded the Pacific Research Institute
in 1979" and Fisher and Milton Friedman
lived in the same apartment block in San Francisco during the 1980s.
In the late 1970s Fisher assisted Greg Lindsay
in the development of the Centre for Independent Studies
in Sydney
.
Cockett wrote, "In 1981, to co-ordinate and establish a central focus for these institutes that Fisher found himself start up all over the world, he created the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
which in 1987 joined up with the Institute for Humane Studies
(IHS) founded by the Mont Pelerin member F. A. Harper
in 1961) to provide a central institutional structure for what quickly became an ever-expanding number of international free-market think-tanks or research institutes".
According to Cokett, "Fisher used the local and international gatherings of the Mont Pelerin Society to find personnel, fund-raisers and donors for many of the Atlas Institutes" as the international think-tanks proliferated.
Fisher died in 1988, only four weeks after being knighted.
, formerly Political Secretary to Conservative leader Michael Howard, now global head of communications and public policy for Google, who is married to David Cameron's Director of Strategy Steve Hilton
.
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
think-tanks during the second half of the twentieth century, founding the Institute of Economic Affairs
Institute of Economic Affairs
The Institute of Economic Affairs , founded in 1955, styles itself the UK's pre-eminent free-market think-tank. Its mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social...
and the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Atlas Economic Research Foundation
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation, also known as the Atlas Network, is a non-profit organization based in the United States which organizes and convenes workshops, offers training, runs prize programs, and provides advisory services in order to continue growing and strengthening an informal...
. Through Atlas, he helped establish up to 150 other think-tanks worldwide. The most prominent include:
- Fraser InstituteFraser InstituteThe Fraser Institute is a Canadian think tank. It has been described as politically conservative and right-wing libertarian and espouses free market principles...
- Manhattan InstituteManhattan InstituteThe Manhattan Institute for Policy Research is a conservative, market-oriented think tank established in New York City in 1978 by Antony Fisher and William J...
- Pacific Research InstitutePacific Research InstituteThe Pacific Research Institute , or officially the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy, is a California-based free-market think tank founded in 1979 whose stated vision is the promotion of "the principles of individual freedom and personal responsibility"...
- National Center for Policy AnalysisNational Center for Policy AnalysisThe National Center for Policy Analysis is a non-profit American conservative think tank whose goals are to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control...
- Centre for Independent StudiesCentre for Independent StudiesThe Centre for Independent Studies is a libertarian think tank founded in April 1976 by Executive Director Greg Lindsay. The CIS is one of six think tanks recognised by the National Institute for Research Advancement in Tokyo, Japan...
- Adam Smith InstituteAdam Smith InstituteThe Adam Smith Institute, abbreviated to ASI, is a think tank based in the United Kingdom, named after one of the founders of modern economics, Adam Smith. It espouses free market and classical liberal views, in particular by creating radical policy options in the light of public choice theory,...
Early years
Fisher's father, Basil, was killed by a sniper in Gaza during World War One when he was only two years old.Fisher was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and during the Second World War served in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
alongside his younger brother who was killed in the Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. These events profoundly affected him and he dedicated his life to what he saw as the fight against totalitarianism.
After Word War II Fisher was deeply alarmed by the election of a Labour government, the nationalization of industry, and the introduction of central economic planning. This sentiment moved Fisher to read Road to Serfdom by Austrian economist F. A. Hayek which deeply influenced his thinking. Fisher sought out Hayek that year at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
where he taught and talked enthusiastically about his plans to go into politics. Hayek, however, convinced him that think-tanks were the best medium for effecting political change.
In 1952, Fisher undertook a study trip to the United States, where he visited the still-new Foundation for Economic Education
Foundation for Economic Education
The Foundation for Economic Education is one of the oldest free-market organizations established in the United States to study and advance the freedom philosophy. Murray Rothbard recognizes FEE for creating a "crucial open center" that he credits with launching the movement...
(FEE). F. A. Harper
F. A. Harper
Dr. Floyd Arthur Harper , better known as F. A. Harper or "Baldy" Harper, was an American academic, economist and writer best known for founding the Institute for Humane Studies in 1961. -Early life:...
of the FEE introduced Fisher to former colleagues from the Agriculture Department of Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, who showed him intensive chicken farming techniques with which Fisher was very impressed. Fisher returned home to start England's first battery cage
Battery cage
In poultry farming, battery cages are an industrial agricultural confinement system used primarily for egg-laying hens...
chicken farm, Buxted Chickens, which eventually made him a millionaire.
Fisher used his fortune to set up the influential Institute of Economic Affairs
Institute of Economic Affairs
The Institute of Economic Affairs , founded in 1955, styles itself the UK's pre-eminent free-market think-tank. Its mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social...
with Ralph Harris
Ralph Harris, Baron Harris of High Cross
Ralph Harris, Baron Harris of High Cross was a British economist. He was head of the Institute of Economic Affairs from 1957 to 1988...
in 1955.
Later years
Despite losing his fortune in several ill-advised business ventures (including a turtle-farmingTurtle farming
Turtle farming is the practice of raising turtles and tortoises of various species commercially. Raised animals are sold for use as gourmet food, traditional medicine ingredients, or as pets...
operation), in 1971 he founded the International Institute for Economic Research, which went to spawn both the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Atlas Economic Research Foundation
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation, also known as the Atlas Network, is a non-profit organization based in the United States which organizes and convenes workshops, offers training, runs prize programs, and provides advisory services in order to continue growing and strengthening an informal...
in 1980 and the International Policy Network
International Policy Network
The International Policy Network is a global think tank headquartered in the City of London. It defines itself as a non-partisan, non-profit organization, but has also been described as a "corporate-funded campaigning group"...
in 2001. Through these operations, Fisher provided financial and operational support for a huge number of fledgling think-tanks, most of which would not exist without his influence.
It was through the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Atlas Economic Research Foundation
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation, also known as the Atlas Network, is a non-profit organization based in the United States which organizes and convenes workshops, offers training, runs prize programs, and provides advisory services in order to continue growing and strengthening an informal...
that Fisher was able to extend his beliefs worldwide. By 1984, Fisher was watching over eighteen institutions in eleven countries. http://www.libertyhaven.com/theoreticalorphilosophicalissues/history/earlyhistory.html Today, Atlas supports and works with around 150 libertarian think-tanks.
In his book Thinking the unthinkable, Richard Cockett sketched Fisher's role in supporting other emerging think-tanks around the world. Cockett wrote, "On the strength of his reputation with the IEA, he was invited in 1975 to become co-director of the Fraser Institute
Fraser Institute
The Fraser Institute is a Canadian think tank. It has been described as politically conservative and right-wing libertarian and espouses free market principles...
in Vancouver, founded by the Canadian businessman T. Patrick Boyle in 1974. Fisher let the young director of the Fraser Institute, Dr Michael Walker
Michael Walker (economist)
Michael Walker, Ph.D is a Canadian economist. He is best known as the founder of The Fraser Institute....
, get on with the intellectual output of the Institute (just as he had given free rein to Seldon and Harris at the IEA) while he himself concentrated on the fund-raising side".
Cockett explained that after his success at the Fraser Institute, Fisher went to New York where in 1977 he set up the International Center for Economic Policy Studies (ICEPS), later renamed the Manhattan Institute
Manhattan Institute
The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research is a conservative, market-oriented think tank established in New York City in 1978 by Antony Fisher and William J...
. "The incorporation documents for the ICEPS were signed by prominent attorney Bill Casey
Bill Casey
William D. "Bill" Casey is a Canadian politician. He is a former Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons.-Life and career:...
, later Director of the Central Intelligence Agency".
Cockett comments that "under the directorship of William Hammett the Manhattan Institute became probably Fishers greatest success after the IEA".
In 1977, Cockett wrote, Fisher moved to San Francisco "with his second wife Dorian, who he had met through the Mont Pelerin Society
Mont Pelerin Society
The Mont Pelerin Society is an international organization composed of economists , philosophers, historians, intellectuals, business leaders, and others who favour classical liberalism...
, and founded the Pacific Research Institute
Pacific Research Institute
The Pacific Research Institute , or officially the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy, is a California-based free-market think tank founded in 1979 whose stated vision is the promotion of "the principles of individual freedom and personal responsibility"...
in 1979" and Fisher and Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades...
lived in the same apartment block in San Francisco during the 1980s.
In the late 1970s Fisher assisted Greg Lindsay
Greg Lindsay
Gregory John Lindsay AO is Executive Director of the prominent Australian think tank The Centre for Independent Studies which he founded in 1976 when a young mathematics teacher in the western suburbs of Sydney...
in the development of the Centre for Independent Studies
Centre for Independent Studies
The Centre for Independent Studies is a libertarian think tank founded in April 1976 by Executive Director Greg Lindsay. The CIS is one of six think tanks recognised by the National Institute for Research Advancement in Tokyo, Japan...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Cockett wrote, "In 1981, to co-ordinate and establish a central focus for these institutes that Fisher found himself start up all over the world, he created the Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Atlas Economic Research Foundation
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation, also known as the Atlas Network, is a non-profit organization based in the United States which organizes and convenes workshops, offers training, runs prize programs, and provides advisory services in order to continue growing and strengthening an informal...
which in 1987 joined up with the Institute for Humane Studies
Institute for Humane Studies
The Institute for Humane Studies is a classical liberal non-profit organization whose stated mission is “to support the achievement of a freer society by discovering and facilitating the development of talented students, scholars, and other intellectuals who share an interest in liberty and in...
(IHS) founded by the Mont Pelerin member F. A. Harper
F. A. Harper
Dr. Floyd Arthur Harper , better known as F. A. Harper or "Baldy" Harper, was an American academic, economist and writer best known for founding the Institute for Humane Studies in 1961. -Early life:...
in 1961) to provide a central institutional structure for what quickly became an ever-expanding number of international free-market think-tanks or research institutes".
According to Cokett, "Fisher used the local and international gatherings of the Mont Pelerin Society to find personnel, fund-raisers and donors for many of the Atlas Institutes" as the international think-tanks proliferated.
Fisher died in 1988, only four weeks after being knighted.
Family
He was father to Linda Whetstone, who has been involved with many of Fisher's think tanks, and grandfather to Rachel WhetstoneRachel Whetstone
Rachel Whetstone was Political Secretary to former Conservative leader, Michael Howard. She is now global head of communications and public policy for search-engine company Google....
, formerly Political Secretary to Conservative leader Michael Howard, now global head of communications and public policy for Google, who is married to David Cameron's Director of Strategy Steve Hilton
Steve Hilton
Steve Hilton is the director of strategy for David Cameron, Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom...
.
External links
- John BlundellJohn Blundell (economist)John Blundell is the former Director General and Ralph Harris Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs. Blundell has been involved in the creation and development of numerous free-market think tanks.-Biography:...
, "Hayek, Fisher and The Road to Serfdom in Friedrich A. Hayek, The Road to Serfdom: the condensed version of the Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek as it appeared in the April 1945 edition of Readers Digest, Institute of Economic Affairs, 1999. - Richard Cockett,Thinking the unthinkable: think-tanks and the economic counter-revolution, 1931-1983, Fontana Press, 1995, ISBN 0-00-637586-3
- John BlundellJohn Blundell (economist)John Blundell is the former Director General and Ralph Harris Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs. Blundell has been involved in the creation and development of numerous free-market think tanks.-Biography:...
, Waging the War of Ideas, speech to the Heritage FoundationHeritage FoundationThe Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
, January 1990 - Gerald Frost, Antony Fisher, Champion of Liberty, Profile Books, Great Britain, 2002.
- Article by Adam Curtis about think tanks, featuring Antony Fisher from the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...