In 1973 Ed Feulner and his friend Paul Weyrichco-founded the Heritage Foundation, the think tank that nurtured and spread many of the policies that informed the Reagan Administration. Its “Mandate for Leadership” policy compendium in 1980 became a guide for the Reaganauts out to change Washington.
Under Feulner, the think tank also became known for short, fast policy summaries delivered to Members of Congress and staff in anticipation of votes. Turnover on Capitol Hill is rapid, and Heritage’s missives were influential guides to policies developed on the right over many years.
Like many Reagan-era conservatives, Feulner believed in a coalition built on the three-legged stool of free markets and a smaller government, strong national defense, and traditional views on social policy. He welcomed all factions of what was once called the “conservative movement,” from libertarians to Russell Kirk traditionalists to neocons.
For many years, the Journal worked with Heritage on the annual Index of Economic Freedom. The volume ranked countries around the world on various measures of economic liberty. Feulner was notable for believing in a strong U.S. presence in the world, and he was especially close to leaders in Taiwan and South Korea. As recently as the mid-2000s we can recall a delegation of Heritage scholars making the case to us that U.S. defense spending should be 5% of gross domestic product. Today it’s closer to 3%, and heading lower under President Trump.
Born outside Chicago in a German-American Catholic family, Feulner attended Regis College in Denver where he discovered conservative ideas. Barry Goldwater was an early political influence. “You have to choose between liberty and equality,” Feulner told John Miller of National Review. “I picked liberty.” Each year he published an essay by thinkers who defined conservative principles.