Robert LeFevre

Born in Gooding, Idaho, in 1911 and raised partly in Minneapolis, Robert LeFevre studied English and drama at Hamline University before working in a wide range of jobs. Over time he became known as a businessman, radio personality, writer, and lecturer whose interests increasingly centered on politics and individual freedom.

LeFevre became an influential figure in the libertarian movement, especially through his teaching and public speaking. He founded the Freedom School in Colorado, later associated with Rampart College, where he introduced students to his distinctly pacifist, anti-statist philosophy. He described that outlook as autarchism, a version of libertarian thought that emphasized self-rule, voluntary action, and a rejection of coercion.

Although he never became a mainstream public figure, LeFevre had a lasting impact on later libertarian writers and activists. He died in 1986, but his essays, lectures, and educational work continue to be read by people interested in the history of American individualist and free-market ideas.