Charles A Murray

Charles Murray is a political scientist, author, and libertarian. He first came to national attention in 1984 with the publication of "Losing Ground," which has been credited as the intellectual foundation for the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. He is the W. H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a Member of the Board of Advisors for the Independent Institute. He received his Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. in history from Harvard University. He has been Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Research Scientist with the American Institutes for Research, Peace Corps Volunteer and US-AID contractor in Thailand. His 1994 New York Times bestseller, "The Bell Curve" (Free Press, 1994), coauthored with the late Richard J. Herrnstein, sparked heated controversy for its analysis of the role of IQ in shaping America's class structure. Murray's other books include "What It Means to Be a Libertarian" (1997), "Human Accomplishment" (2003), "In Our Hands" (2006), and "Real Education" (2008). His 2012 book, "Coming Apart" (Crown Forum, 2012), describes an unprecedented divergence in American classes over the last half century. His most recent book is "By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission" (