Lawrence Fertig
Encyclopedia
Lawrence W. Fertig was an American
advertising executive and a libertarian
journalist and economic commentator.
Fertig wrote columns for the New York World-Telegram
and the New York Sun
. Fertig also wrote the 1961 Regnery Press offering, Prosperity Through Freedom.
He was the founder of Lawrence Fertig & Company, a New York
advertising and marketing firm. The Hoover Institution
maintains an archive of Fertig's papers at their Stanford, California
location.
, Fertig attended Columbia University
, where he studied economics. He finished his master's degree
in that subject and intended to continue on with doctoral studies, but was unable to do so due to the advent of the Second World War.
on behalf of Scripps-Howard newspapers, Fertig authored a weekly column on financial matters, something that he would continue until the collapse of the New York World Journal Tribune
in the late 1960s. He was on the board of trustees of the Foundation for Economic Education
's monthly journal, The Freeman
.
when the economist fled Europe to the United States during the rise of the Third Reich, even going so far as to pay part of Mises' salary himself when Mises began teaching at Fertig's alma mater. Referring to Mises' visiting professorship at NYU, economist Murray Rothbard
stated that
The Mises Institute, founded in 1982 in honor of Ludwig von Mises, credits Fertig as being instrumental in its creation and development. The institute offers a Lawrence Fertig memorial prize to the author whose work "best advances economic science in the Austrian tradition."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
advertising executive and a libertarian
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...
journalist and economic commentator.
Fertig wrote columns for the New York World-Telegram
New York World-Telegram
The New York World-Telegram, later known as the New York World-Telegram and Sun, was a New York City newspaper from 1931 to 1966.-History:...
and the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
. Fertig also wrote the 1961 Regnery Press offering, Prosperity Through Freedom.
He was the founder of Lawrence Fertig & Company, a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
advertising and marketing firm. The Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....
maintains an archive of Fertig's papers at their Stanford, California
Stanford, California
Stanford is a census-designated place in Santa Clara County, California, United States and is the home of Stanford University. The population was 13,809 at the 2010 census....
location.
Education
After receiving an undergraduate degree from New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Fertig attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he studied economics. He finished his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in that subject and intended to continue on with doctoral studies, but was unable to do so due to the advent of the Second World War.
Economic commentary
After attending the 1944 Bretton Woods conferenceUnited Nations Monetary and Financial Conference
The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, commonly known as the Bretton Woods conference, was a gathering of 730 delegates from all 44 Allied nations at the Mount Washington Hotel, situated in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to regulate the international monetary and financial order after...
on behalf of Scripps-Howard newspapers, Fertig authored a weekly column on financial matters, something that he would continue until the collapse of the New York World Journal Tribune
New York World Journal Tribune
The New York World Journal Tribune, also known as the World-Journal-Tribune, was a newspaper published in New York City from September 1966 until May 1967...
in the late 1960s. He was on the board of trustees of the 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...
's monthly journal, The Freeman
The Freeman
The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty is one of the oldest and most respected libertarian journals in the United States. It is published by the Foundation for Economic Education . It started as a digest sized monthly study journal; it currently appears 10 times per year and is a larger-sized magazine. FEE...
.
Association with Ludwig von Mises
Fertig, who was a member of the NYU board of trustees, was instrumental in supporting his friend Ludwig von MisesLudwig von Mises
Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was an Austrian economist, philosopher, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the modern Libertarian movement and the "Austrian School" of economic thought.-Biography:-Early life:...
when the economist fled Europe to the United States during the rise of the Third Reich, even going so far as to pay part of Mises' salary himself when Mises began teaching at Fertig's alma mater. Referring to Mises' visiting professorship at NYU, economist Murray Rothbard
Murray Rothbard
Murray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
stated that
- NYU’s support for Mises was grudging, and only came about because advertising executive and NYU alumnus Lawrence Fertig, an economic journalist and close friend of Mises and HazlittHenry HazlittHenry Stuart Hazlitt was an American economist, philosopher, literary critic and journalist for such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The Nation, The American Mercury, Newsweek, and The New York Times...
, exerted considerable influence at the university.
The Mises Institute, founded in 1982 in honor of Ludwig von Mises, credits Fertig as being instrumental in its creation and development. The institute offers a Lawrence Fertig memorial prize to the author whose work "best advances economic science in the Austrian tradition."