Robert James "Rj" Smith

Robert James “R.J.” Smith, whose passion for environmental conservation and free-market economics helped spawn a movement known as “free-market environmentalism,” passed away April 8, 2024, at George Washington University Hospital due to complications from a stroke. An author, lecturer, and former student of renowned Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, R.J. touched the lives of thousands around the globe as a stalwart promoter of private approaches to environmental protection and conservation.

Born April 14,1937, in Multnomah, Ore., he grew up in San Francisco with his parents Robert Chalfin Smith (1910-1957) and Hester Penny Smith (1910-1986), and his sister Carol Susan Smith (1942-2006). As a youth, R.J. spent his summers with his grandparents in Portland, Ore., where he developed his passion for wildlife—particularly birds—thanks to his grandmother, who he once described as a “noted naturalist.” Her old Victorian home resembled a wildlife museum, with rooms devoted to her various wildlife collections. One room had a fossil collection, another a bird nest collection, and so on, which fascinated R.J. as a young boy. Among his grandmother’s friends were some well-known ornithologists who would take him birding, ever increasing R.J.’s knowledge and appreciation of birds and wildlife.

In grade school, R.J. became a member of the National Audubon Society to learn more about birds and support the group’s privately held nature preserves, fostering his lifetime pursuit of the topic. His many friends will attest to the encyclopedic knowledge he developed, which produced many engaging conversations and enjoyable birding trips with friends both locally where he lived and around the world.

R.J.’s adult education included both science and economics. He earned a Bachelor of Science in petroleum geology from Stanford University in 1961, and then studied economics under von Mises at New York University’s Graduate School of Business (1961-1963) as a William Volker Fellow in the Humane Studies. While studying economics in New York City, he also served as the senior staff member at the Foundation for Economic Education located in Irvington on the Hudson, N.Y., working on the editorial staff of The Freeman journal.

During the academic year of 1963-1964, R.J. relocated to Palmer Lake, Colo., to serve as assistant dean at the Freedom School (later renamed Rampart College). The school organized intensive study programs under distinguished free-market economists such as von Mises, F.A. Hayek, Milton Friedman, and more.

The following year he returned to the Northeast to attend the 1964 meeting of the prestigious Mont Pelerin Society. In addition to becoming a member of the society—on the recommendation of von Mises and Hayek—R.J. met businessman J.D. Tuller. Tuller was starting an organization to bring free-market voices to Ivy League schools, because economic education at universities generally leaned to the left, and students had little exposure to other points of view. Tuller hired R.J. to serve as the Director of Research at the Tuller Foundation for the Advancement of Economic Understanding, so R.J. moved to Red Bank, N.J., to be closer to work. There he arranged various events and educational programs to bring world-famous free-market economists to lecture, debate, and engage with students at several Ivy League colleges, particularly Cornell University.

It was during his time in Red Bank (1964-1974) that R.J. had time to focus more on his passion for wildlife and birds. He joined—and eventually became president of—the Monmouth County Audubon Society (1965-1970). Around the same time (1965-1976), he also served as a field trip leader for the New Jersey Audubon Society. In these roles, R.J. led educational birding trips along the New Jersey coast and its marshes down to Delaware’s Delmar Peninsula and even took birders on trips as far south as Virginia. During this timeframe, R.J. was also able to share his knowledge of birds as a special editorial assistant for The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds—Western Region, which was published in 1977.

At the time, R.J. found himself among birding friends who, like many environmental activists, looked to government regulation to solve environmental problems. Yet R.J.’s extensive knowledge of economics and appreciation for private property made him conclude that solutions to environmental challenges should come from the private sector. He began to formulate a concept and eventually help build a movement that he dubbed “free-market environmentalism.” In subsequent decades, R.J. dedicated his efforts to this movement and to public policies promoting liberty and freedom. His consulting work even included serving as a congressional speech writer and researcher, and in 1976 he served as a special campaign assistant, writing TV and radio ads for Idaho Rep. Steven Symms.

Starting in 1977, R.J. worked in Washington D.C. as an environmental consultant, lecturer, and writer with an emphasis on free-market solutions to environmental problems. In 1979, R.J. authored the book Earth’s Resources: Private Ownership vs. Public Waste, published by the Libertarian Party. Between 1981 and 1987, R.J. served as an environmental consultant to Edison Electric Institute, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) under President Ronald Reagan.

R.J.’s work for Reagan’s CEQ is among his most prized contributions to the movement. R.J. prepared sections and chapters for the 14th, 15th, and 16th CEQ Annual Report. Topics included public environmental organizations, business and the environment, the public benefits of private conservation, and terrestrial biotic resources. R.J. also developed a national inventory of private- sector natural resource conservation activities under an interagency agreement between CEQ and the Department of the Interior.

R.J. then spent several decades working as an advocate of private conservation, free-market public policy, and private property rights. He served as the Director of Environmental Studies at the Cato Institute from 1990 to 1991, where he drafted journal and other articles on endangered species, private conservation, and environmental protection issues. After his work at Cato, he joined the Competitive Enterprise Institute, where he worked both as the Director of Outreach for CEI’s Center for Private Conservation and then as a distinguished fellow to his death. While serving at CEI, R.J. also became a distinguished fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research in 2005 where he served until his death. In these positions, R.J. produced reports, op-ed articles, testified before Congress, appeared on numerous radio and television programs, and made presentations at conferences around the world. His work focused on a wide range of wildlife topics, including the Endangered Species

Act, fires in national forests and federal lands policy in general, the American Heritage Act, the Antiquities Act, the Clean Water Act and wetlands regulation, property rights, invasive species, and more. R.J. also appeared in videos for CEI, including a short documentary detailing the history of the environmental movement (viewable on YouTube). Despite these varied topic areas, R.J. was well known for having a deep and impressive breadth of knowledge on them all. His contributions went beyond his knowledge and ability to communicate; R.J. was a true advocate for individuals. It was a common occurrence for him to organize coalitions, press conferences, and meetings with members of Congress or regulators to defend landowners whose livelihoods were threatened by misguided and onerous regulations that provided no public benefits.

In addition, R.J. promoted individuals who engaged in private conservation on private property. These activities included production of written case studies for CEI’s Center for Private Conservation, which detailed private conservation achievements. His work at the center also included a program to grant awards to individuals engaged in impressive conservation activities on private property. Among the award recipients was Angelo Puglisi, whose ownership of land once held by Thomas Jefferson, ensured the preservation of the great Natural Bridge landmark in Central Virginia.

Among R.J.’s associates and colleagues are many who feel indebted to his support for their property rights and private conservation efforts, and many others who appreciated his principled approach to policy. In 2008, CEI and the National Center for Public Policy Research awarded R.J. the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award “for his work in defending property rights and advancing private conservation.” In 2002, the Property Rights Foundation of America, Inc., awarded its Sixth Annual Property Rights Advocate Award to R.J. “in recognition of his dedication to the preservation of human rights guaranteed in the United States Constitution.” And in 2011, CEI awarded him its Julian L. Simon Memorial Award.

R.J.’s personal life centered on an extensive network of cherished friends covering all regions of the globe and from all political points of view. He had an uncanny ability to connect with someone at a first meeting, keep in touch, and build meaningful relationships. R.J. particularly enjoyed birdwatching with friends, sharing great meals and wine, joining friends at minor league baseball games, and partaking in amazing conversations. Dixieland was his music of choice to enjoy at dinner parties, but he also loved listening to the Pacific sounds of The Beach Boys, particularly in concert with friends. He was greatly loved and will be sorely missed.

A funeral mass for R.J. will take place at the Basilica of Saint Mary, 310 S. Royal St., Alexandria, VA 22314, on June 6, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. His remains will be interred this summer at a date to be determined at River View Cemetery, 300 S. Taylors Ferry Rd, Portland, OR 97219.