The Libertarian Party is deeply saddened today to release the news of the passing of our founder, Mr. David F. Nolan on November 21st. Mr. Nolan was 66 years old. In addition to founding the Libertarian Party, Mr. Nolan devised the ‘Nolan Chart,’ a multi-dimensional map of the political spectrum further modified by Advocates’ founder, Marshall Fritz, as the basis of the Advocates for Self Government‘s ‘World’s Smallest Political Quiz,’ which is used by political science classes all over the country and the world, and has been taken more than 16 million times online.
Mr. Nolan’s contributions changed the way many view the political spectrum and their personal roles as a part of our government. Influenced heavily in his youth by Robert Heinlein and Ayn Rand, Mr. Nolan’s firm belief in personal responsibility, limited government, and support of the free market led him on a search for a third party option, and on December 11th, 1971, in Colorado Springs, CO, the Libertarian Party was founded in his living room. Founded as an alternative choice in a system dominated by two major political parties, and as a response to President Nixon’s instigation of price and wage controls, as well as the closing of the foreign gold window, the Libertarian party has offered a third choice, the choice of freedom and civil liberty, for nearly 40 years.
Active in all 50 states, and with over 250,000 registered voters, and many more supporters, the Libertarian party is the third largest political party in the United States. In Georgia, there was a Libertarian candidate in every statewide race this November. The Libertarian party is focused on achieving a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives, and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others. Mr. Nolan is survived by his wife, Elizabeth. Mr. Nolan will certainly be missed by family, friends, and Libertarian Party members world-wide, but his contributions to the political realm will never be forgotten.
