Cronyism

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Hunter Lewis of Axios Press inspired me to write Cronyism. In the spring of 2019 he generously provided a research grant to write the history of crony capitalism in America. As I started working, I realized that to accurately describe the history of cronyism I needed to spend a significant amount of time on early United States history, when reformers made the greatest strides toward nipping special privileges in the bud. I hope this work is up to his standards.

I would also like to thank Dr. Joseph Salerno, my intellectual mentor and the academic Vice President of the Mises Institute, and Jeff Deist, President of the Mises Institute, for publishing this book. Since my first Mises Summer Fellowship in 2012, Joe has continually inspired me to write in the Austrian tradition. Similarly, Jeff vigorously promotes and encourages my research. The Mises Institute provides a great network for young scholars such as myself, and I immensely enjoyed spending the summers of 2019 and 2020 in Auburn working on Cronyism.

Chris Calton, a graduate student in the history PhD program at the University of Florida, played an indispensable role. Chris commented on multiple manuscripts and encouraged me to clarify my ideas, rewrite sections, and improve my narrative. There is no doubt that Chris’ editorial suggestions significantly improved the final product. I would also like to thank Timothy Blanton, Robert Bradley, Tate Fegley, Richard Garber, Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, Tyler Kubik, Karras Lambert, Julia Norgaard, and Roy Simmens for commenting on earlier drafts. Lastly, Judy Thommesen and Daniella Bassi corrected typographical errors and prepared the book for publication. All errors, of course, are entirely my own.

Above all, I must give profound thanks to a man I have never met, Murray Rothbard, who provided both my thesis and narrative. I have built my academic career on Rothbard’s writings, and this book is no exception. I dedicate it to him, Mr. Austro-Libertarian.