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Title: Jude Wanniski papers,
Dates: 1965-2005
Collection Number: 2008C50
Creator: Wanniski, Jude, 1936-
Collection Size:
30 manuscript boxes
(12 linear feet)
Repository:
Hoover Institution Archives
Stanford, California 94305-6010
Abstract: Acquired in 2008, the Jude Wanniski papers in the Hoover Institution Archives document the career of a journalist and consultant
who, from the early 1970s until his death in 2005, sought to influence both popular opinion and the political establishment
in the United States. As an editor of the Wall Street Journal, and then as the head of his own consulting firm, Polyconomics,
Inc., Wanniski was a tireless advocate of supply-side economics, a term that he devised after becoming acquainted with the
ideas of the economists Arthur Laffer and Robert Mundell. In opposition to Keynesian doctrine, Wanniski and other supply-siders
promoted tax reductions and a reduced role for government as means of promoting capital formation and economic growth.
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Archives
Languages:
English
Box 30 is closed. The remainder of the collection is open for research.
Access to sound recordings, video recordings, or motion picture material requires at least two weeks advance notice. Please
contact the Hoover Institution Archives for further information.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Archives.
[Identification of item], Jude Wanniski papers, 1965-2006, [Box number], Hoover Institution Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Archives in 2008.
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. To determine if this has occurred, find
the collection in Stanford University's online catalog Socrates at
http://library.stanford.edu/webcat . Materials have been added to the collection if the number of boxes listed in Socrates is larger than the number of boxes
listed in this finding aid.
| 1936 | Born, Pottstown, Pennsylvania |
| 1959 | Master of Arts, Journalism, University of California at Los Angeles |
| 1961-1965 | Columnist, Las Vegas Review-Journal |
| 1965-1972 | Columnist, National Observer |
| 1972-1978 | Associate editor, Wall Street Journal |
| 1975 | Coins term "supply-side economics" and popularizes ideas of Arthur Laffer and Robert Mundell |
| 1978 | Author, The Way the World Works |
| 1978-2005 | President, Polyconomics, Inc. |
| 1998 | Author, The Last Race of the 20th Century |
| 2005 | Died |
Scope and Content of Collection
Acquired in 2008, the Jude Wanniski papers in the Hoover Institution Archives document the career of a journalist and consultant
who, from the early 1970s until his death in 2005, sought to influence both popular opinion and the political establishment
in the United States. As an editor of the Wall Street Journal, and then as the head of his own consulting firm, Polyconomics,
Inc., Wanniski was a tireless advocate of supply-side economics, a term that he devised after becoming acquainted with the
ideas of the economists Arthur Laffer and Robert Mundell. In opposition to Keynesian doctrine, Wanniski and other supply-siders
promoted tax reductions and a reduced role for government as means of promoting capital formation and economic growth.
In 1978, Wanniski published a book on economics, The Way the World Works, that popularized these ideas and gave a supply-side
account of history. He wrote many editorials on public policy and conducted an extensive correspondence with politicians
whom he hoped would implement the ideas he championed, often functioning as an unofficial campaign adviser. Among those he
advised were Jack Kemp, Bob Dole, and Ronald Reagan, as well as two businessmen who ran for the presidency, Ross Perot and
Steve Forbes. Although primarily associated with the Republican Party, Wanniski also had a close connection to the Democrats
Bill Bradley and Charles Rangel, and corresponded with President Bill Clinton.
The
Correspondence series forms the bulk of the Wanniski papers. Routine correspondence is organized chronologically, followed by more significant
correspondence, arranged alphabetically by name. Along with the political figures already mentioned, there are significant
exchanges of letters between Wanniski and various policymakers and officials, including Alan Greenspan, Paul Volcker, Donald
Rumsfeld, and James Baker. This series also includes Wanniski's substantial correspondence with the Nation of Islam leader,
Louis Farrakhan. Wanniski's association with Farrakhan, whom he came to view as a friend and political ally, proved to be
highly controversial.
There is also an
Email messages series in the papers. Dating from late in Wanniski's career, a number of these messages are available as searchable PDF
files that can be viewed on a workstation computer in the reading room. There are also printouts of some messages in the
papers themselves. In both cases, certain recipients are identified only by email address and salutation rather than full
name.
The
Political consulting file in the papers is comprised of memoranda sent to Bob Dole and Jack Kemp, as well as a number of speeches written by Wanniski
for others. The
Speeches and writings series includes the manuscripts of his books, The Way the World Works and The Last Race of the 20th Century, as well as numerous
examples of Wanniski's work as a journalist and his record as a public speaker. In addition to numerous pieces on economics,
there are also many speeches and writings devoted to issues of foreign policy. By the end of his life, Wanniski had become
a sharp critic of American military intervention in Iraq and elsewhere.
Wanniski's professional life is documented in the
Subject file of the papers, which includes materials relating to his work as a consultant in Puerto Rico and the Russian Federation.
The collection is arranged into seven series: Biographical file, Correspondence, Email Messages, Speeches and Writings, Political
Consulting file, Writings by Others and Subject file.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
United States--Economic policy.
United States--Politics and government.