presidential candidate for the libertarian party harry browne died of lou gehrig’s disease at age 72. nytimes:
mr. browne, an author and investment adviser, received 485,134 votes for president in 1996 and 384,431 in 2000. he never held elective office, mr. babka said.
more, and our personal connection to mr. browne, after the jump:
mr. browne wrote 12 books, which sold more than two million copies in total, the party said in a news release. they included “why government doesn’t work,” “how i found freedom in an unfree world” and “fail-safe investing.”
survivors include his wife, pamela, and a daughter.
the reason we bring up the death of the libertarian candidate is that we know autumn browne, his daughter, tho until we received the following email from her, did not have any idea that her father was that harry browne:
dear friends,
some of you may know that last wednesday evening (march 1st) my father passed peacefully away. i never expected the overwhelming amount of press, and the outpouring of remembrances posted on blogs nationwide.
the first time i head him speak publicly, i prayed that great oratory skills would be an inherited trait. what a gifted speaker! my father was a powerful debater and shone brilliantly when on television. he was a professional on the radio, and a complete loon in the living room. he was handsome, classy, and very presidential, even when talking about his favorite food! he would get teary when listening to music, and dissolve into laughter trying to get through a joke. in my eyes he had it all: a great job, an immense enjoyment of life, and a beautiful wife.
i became a member of the libertarian party in 1995. it was wonderful to discover a political party that reflected my beliefs for the direction of this great country. after working on my father’s presidential campaign in 1996, i was inspired to run for office myself–if only to provide a choice for others who were dissatisfied with the existing “single-party system”. one of my favorite memories is being in the voting booth, november 2000, and seeing both our names on the ballot. how many kids can say that?!
his radio and tv shows spread a great message. i was so proud of him, and what he was accomplishing. i am grateful for the lessons of personal responsibility that i learned.
pamela and i have become close friends, and are able to laugh along with the tears. we are relieved that this awful disease did not drag on. and wherever harry browne is today, he is enjoying a glass of wine along with steak and french fries, listening to opera, surrounded by the animals he loved throughout his life.
i will miss him dearly, and so will the cause of liberty.
autumn
www.autumnbrowne.com
we are saddened for our friend’s loss, and must commend mr. browne posthumously, for his commitment to the democratic process. would that we all had the fire and determination to make it all the way to 50 ballots in an election. that is what america really is all about.