Conservative African-American author and columnist known for his books and articles on economics and American culture. His numerous literary honors include the Francis Boyer Award, the National Humanities Medal, and the Bradley Prize.
He graduated from Harvard University in 1958 and subsequently received a Master's degree from Columbia and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. He went on to teach economics at Howard University, Rutgers, Cornell, Brandeis, Amherst College, and the University of California-Los Angeles.
He supports laissez-faire economics, and has written thirty books.
His father died before he was born, and he was adopted by his great-aunt because his impoverished mother already had four other children to take care of. His autobiography, A Personal Odyssey, details his childhood in North Carolina and New York City.
He once wrote an article critiquing George W. Bush.
