Harry Browne

A leading figure in the modern libertarian movement, Browne was a passionate advocate for personal freedom, limited government, and voluntary cooperation. He authored 12 books that in total have sold more than 2 million copies including his influential work How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World (1973), which provided a blueprint for achieving individual liberation by rejecting societal constraints and embracing self-reliance. Through his presidential campaigns, writings, and public appearances, Browne articulated a vision of a society free from coercion, inspiring generations of libertarians to challenge political and cultural orthodoxy.

Career

Armed services

He was inducted into the U.S. Army on May 5, 1953. He went to the Southwestern Signal Corps Training Center at Camp San Luis Obispo, California to study cryptography. On October 4, 1953, he was sent to Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, where the 1954 Operation Castle hydrogen bomb tests were conducted.

In 1955, Browne was sent to Eniwetok to finish his tour of duty and afterwards was transferred to the Army Reserves at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. He was released from active military service on July 17, 1956. He was honorably discharged from the armed forces on February 28, 1961, and discharged from the Army Reserves on July 1, 1961.

Activist and author

Browne worked as an advertising and sales executive in the 1960s. He then devoted himself full-time to the "Americanist" cause. He believed that the newspapers of America would willingly buy material promoting the American way of life; so, in 1961 he took on the proprietorship of American Way Features, Inc., a newspaper feature service, and as managing editor inaugurated a plan to turn the service from a subsidized program into a profit-making service. It sold "Americanist" features, in competition with all the recognized syndicates. His own column, The American Way, appeared in over 200 newspapers throughout America.

In the summer of 1962, Browne was named the advertising manager for the Liberty Amendment Committee's bimonthly American Progress for Economic Freedom. In October he was named associate editor, and in November he was the editor. The following Spring the magazine was renamed Freedom Magazine, and Browne continued as its editor until February 1964 when he turned his full-time attention to the American Way Features, Inc.

Investment theory and the "Permanent Portfolio" concept

Also in the 1960s, Browne taught courses such as: The Economics of Freedom, The Tools of Success, Tools of the Market, The Economics of Success, and The Art of Profitable Living". Browne was an investment advisor for much of his life and developed the so-called "permanent portfolio" investment strategy, which claims to identify the four types of economic conditions that can apply over a given investment period, and the appropriate asset classes that give both profit from the upside of these conditions, and some measure of protection when they cease to prevail.

Browne published his first book, How You Can Profit From The Coming Devaluation, in 1970. Browne's second book, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, was published in 1973. You Can Profit from a Monetary Crisis was Browne's third book. He continued to write and publish books including his personal finance book, Fail-Safe Investing: Lifelong Financial Security in 30 Minutes, published in 2001. According to Browne's web site, he was a consultant to the Permanent Portfolio Fund which utilizes some of the investment strategies described in his book, Fail-Safe Investing. Browne also authored books and gave lectures on actively living a libertarian lifestyle. His book How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World gave a detailed explanation of how one can bring libertarian concepts to every aspect of one's life. His posthumously released 1960s lecture series, "The Art of Profitable Living," was released as a 20-CD album titled, "Rule Your World."