Roy A. Childs, Jr., on Reagan’s Presidential Win

Roy A. Childs, Jr.

Roy A. Childs, Jr., was an essayist, lecturer, and critic. He first came to prominence in the libertarian movement with his 1969 “Open Letter to Ayn Rand,” and he quickly established himself as a major thinker within the libertarian tradition. Childs edited Libertarian Review from 1977 to 1981 and was a Cato Institute scholar from 1982 to 1984. He wrote and edited hundreds of book reviews for Laissez Faire Books from 1984 until his death in 1992. Some of his essays were collected in Liberty against Power, published by Fox & Wilkes.

Roy A. Childs, Jr., was an essayist, lecturer, and critic. He first came to prominence in the libertarian movement with his 1969 “Open Letter to Ayn Rand,” and he quickly established himself as a major thinker within the libertarian tradition. He passed away in 1992.

In this lecture from a 1981 meeting of the Libertarian Party of New York, Childs talks about Ronald Reagan’s then-​recent Presidential win and what it would mean for the Libertarian Party’s strategy in the next four years. He also reflects on the strategy of the Libertarian Party presidential campaign in the previous election season: Ed Clark and David Koch won 1.06% of the popular vote, the greatest percentage of the vote claimed by the Libertarian Party to date.