Henry Hazlitt

Born in Philadelphia in 1894, Henry Hazlitt became a journalist, literary critic, editor, and economist without following a conventional academic path. He wrote for major publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Sun, and Newsweek, building a reputation for clear, forceful writing and a strong belief in individual liberty and limited government.

Hazlitt is most closely associated with Economics in One Lesson, first published in 1946. The book helped introduce generations of readers to basic economic thinking by arguing that good analysis must look at long-term effects and at everyone touched by a policy, not just the most visible group in the moment.

He also wrote on politics, philosophy, and fiction, and remained an influential voice in libertarian and free-market circles well into later life. Hazlitt died in 1993, but his work is still widely read by listeners and readers looking for an accessible entry point into economic ideas.