I learned from Don Boudreaux this morning that Walter Williams died either this morning or last night. For those of you who don’t know, he was a long-time economics professor at George Mason University.
I’ll have more to say later but I want to give one appreciation.
Walter liked smoking and he also hated the TSA. Some years ago, the combination of no-smoking regs on planes and intrusive groping by the TSA caused him to vow never to fly by commercial airline again. When he received offers to give speeches that were far enough away that driving was infeasible, he negotiated for a private airplane to take him there.
In February 2013 Armen Alchian died and there was a memorial service for Armen at UCLA in March. I arrived hours early because I didn’t want to take the chance on a later flight. (Flights between Monterey and LAX do not have a good on-time record.) One of the earliest people to arrive, as I tell here, was Walter Williams. Walter was an even bigger fan of Armen than I was.
When I heard Walter was there, I walked out to say hi and he was sitting in his rental car trying to figure out where to park. (This was UCLA, after all.)
“Walter,” I said, “I’m surprised to see you here. I’m sure no one paid for you to fly by private jet. You must have flown commercial.”
Walter smiled that beautiful smile and said, “I had to do it for Armen.”
Update:
Dominic Pino, a student at George Mason University, posted a very nice remembrance that really captures who Walter was. My favorite paragraph:
As Williams persisted well beyond retirement age, his passion for economics undimmed, he was the kind of man that made you say, “He’s going to teach until the day he dies.” On Dec. 1, he taught his last class of ECON 811 to complete the semester, ending the 7:20-10:00 p.m. block around 30 minutes early, as was typical. Fewer than 12 hours later, he died, aged 84. R.I.P.
READER COMMENTS
Jon Murphy
Dec 2 2020 at 10:19am
What a beautiful story. I can hear his voice and see his smile perfectly. The man had a heart the size of the moon.
Trevor
Dec 3 2020 at 10:30pm
Just posting this here for posterity, a gift from beyond the grave from the great Dr. Williams:
http://walterewilliams.com/WalterWilliamsAmnestyProclamation.pdf
Dawn Patterson
Dec 2 2020 at 11:25am
Dr. Williams has been one of my favorite economists since my days in college. I teach AP Macro and his foreword in The Law published by FEE.org is one of the best. When I assign the reading I always get great comments from students on his writing. His wisdom and wit will be missed. I loved reading his newspaper columns and he’s left a beautiful legacy. God Bless his family.
Crush Limbraw
Dec 2 2020 at 11:26am
DaLimbraw Library has many posts by Sir Walter in the archive. Sir was my designation for him when I first began sending his articles to my list.
I also enjoyed his subbing for Rush – his self deprecating humor was infectious and might have something to do with my imitating him in many ways.
A great human being – wiil be missed by me!
Marty Riske
Dec 2 2020 at 12:15pm
A bright light out. RIP Walter Williams.
Daryl Olthaus
Dec 2 2020 at 12:52pm
What a loss! I once received a personal email from him in response to my support for him to run for president. He had written a column about what he would do if he were president. I thought it was a wonderful idea! Too bad it wasn’t in his plans. He would have been a great president! Totally surprised he took the time to reply.
Scott Sumner
Dec 2 2020 at 1:06pm
I’m very sad to hear this news.
Patrick Purcell
Dec 2 2020 at 2:01pm
Dr. Williams was a very gifted professor. He taught me many things about economics and even more about life. He shall be missed greatly.
Michael Coffee
Dec 2 2020 at 2:01pm
One of the most brilliant men on the planet. I could listen to him speak for hours. He will be missed.
Scott Pierce
Dec 2 2020 at 2:18pm
My old Professor. He arrived at Mason the same year that I did (though I left much sooner than he did, and the place was better for both facts).
David Henderson
Dec 2 2020 at 6:30pm
Great line. Your humor is Stiglerian, a high compliment.
Michael
Dec 4 2020 at 8:38pm
WW was 6’5
George Stigler was 6’4?
Stigler said all great economists are tall, Milton Friedman is the exception
Cari Beth
Dec 2 2020 at 2:58pm
I am very saddened to hear one of my heros has passed.
He is one of the few Americans who made America better.
May he rest in peace.
Jeff Taylor
Dec 2 2020 at 3:51pm
Walter E Williams was a great man and economist, in that order. He was a true champion of individual liberty and an opponent of the collectivist mob.
Mary Ann Wenske
Dec 2 2020 at 4:03pm
May he rest in peace. I looked forward to his column every week in our local newspaper. My kids grew up hearing all about those columns, and he was a family favorite for discussions. “Walter Williams said…..,” has been a common way to start supporting an idea.
He will be dearly missed.
Mary Ann Wenske & family
Andrea Mays
Dec 2 2020 at 4:12pm
Larry
Dec 2 2020 at 4:52pm
David, thank you for your wonderful tribute and memories of him. I only met Walter Williams, once — in either 1988 or 1989 in Brooklyn, NY, at a Free Press Conference. Both of us arrived early and were sitting in the hallway outside of the main meeting room. We spoke for about 15 or 20 minutes without interruption, and one of the funniest things he said to me — after I explained how my liberal friends spoke about black Americans and affirmative action — was this:
“Larry, the problem with those people is that their vision of a black person is somebody holding a mop — somebody who can’t do for himself. Somebody that needs them. The only thing that will fix them is having a black boss.”
David Henderson
Dec 2 2020 at 6:29pm
Interesting story.
I’m sure Walter didn’t intend the implication that there’s something wrong with spending your life mopping floors. At least I hope he didn’t.
That story tangentially reminds me of the famous Ayn Rand appearance at the University of Wisconsin in the early 1960s. At the end of her talk, a student asked her:
In your ideal society, who would take care of the janitors?
Rand answered:
Why, young man, the janitors.
Larry
Dec 3 2020 at 9:04am
Hello, David. Agreed. Walter certainly would not have looked down on any kind of work whatsoever. It’s even possible that his comment followed my description of my mother-in-law and her circle of friends — all of whom had an African-American staff in California and held the attitude that I described, seeing themselves as “great benefactors” (which in one sense all employers are, even though there is an exchange that eliminates the need to see anyone as a “benefactor”). In other words, his comment was probably more of a response to that concrete situation that I described rather than an invention of his own. But more to the point was his wonderful willingness to share his good-natured assessments with any stranger, as I certainly was. What’s funny is that I met Jacob Hornberger on a subway after that meeting as I rode home. I didn’t know who he was at the time, but he was talking about starting FFF.org while we sat, practically alone in the car, at the late hour. What’s funny about it is that on an NYC subway at midnight, you generally don’t make eye contact with other riders or speak to them. Yet Jacob must have noticed that I was at the conference (I did not notice him), so he assumed I was of like mind. But since I didn’t know this, I thought he was a complete stranger breaking the no-talk subway rule at the beginning of our conversation.
David Henderson
Dec 4 2020 at 11:34am
Thanks for clarifying.
Mary Ann Rackowski
Dec 2 2020 at 6:04pm
I had the privilege of working for Walter Williams for a few years. He was a great boss, a true gentleman and an inspiration to so many. He loved his family! He contributed so much to the world of economics and was gracious to share his wisdom with us all. May he rest in peace.
Melinda
Dec 2 2020 at 8:08pm
My first reaction when I read the news was “Oh no!” My husband asked what and I said that Walter Williams had died. I’ve been reading his columns for longer than I can remember, and I have a number of his books. His autobiography simultaneously had me gasping “I can’t believe he did that!” and laughing. But yes, I could believe it because he never seemed to care more for other peoples opinion than he did his own good opinion.
I learned more about economics from him than from anyone else I ever read. He always put things in such a way that something that appeared complex seemed obvious. And now, because of him, I can explain some of these things to other people. Things like why profit is a good, not an evil. Things like how ‘gouging’ is a benefit. Even a better understanding of basic supply and demand. I will miss him. His students will miss him more. Economics in general will miss him. And his family will miss him the most. Rest in Peace Walter Williams.
David Henderson
Dec 4 2020 at 11:34am
His autobiography was great, wasn’t it? I’ll be posting on it this weekend.
Matt Ham
Dec 2 2020 at 9:17pm
Very very sad to hear this news today. But I am also truly thankful for Walter Williams and the gift he was in many ways. His amazing wisdom and winsome honesty will be sorely missed in a time when it is so badly needed.
MaryEllen Inman
Dec 2 2020 at 9:39pm
A great man among men. Always the soul of reason. Have admired him since I became aware of him and read one if his editorials. Even when he said he would be getting his wife a lawnmower as gift.. Rest in peace. You will be missed.
David Killion
Dec 2 2020 at 10:30pm
I have a copy of Dr. William’s ‘Proclamation of Amnesty and Pardon Granted to All Persons of European Descent’. It was sent to me in response to a letter I wrote him advising that I had purchased his biography and made a donation to George Mason University in the hope he would send me a personally-signed copy. It is a prized possession.
David Henderson
Dec 4 2020 at 11:33am
You’re one up on me. I heard about it but I never got one.
Trevor Daher
Dec 2 2020 at 11:37pm
Requiescat in Pace, Professor.
God Bless Walter Williams, and his family.
Patrick T Peterson
Dec 3 2020 at 1:29am
Love David’s story above and all the extra comments by everyone else here too.
Walter was indeed such a wonderful man, teacher, leader, writer, speaker, …
I miss him sooooo much already.
Paul Mckenzie
Dec 3 2020 at 8:06am
Rest in peace you will be missed.
Brian D Verch
Dec 3 2020 at 9:46am
Through his voluminous literature, he demonstrated that economics was not just about money, it taught cause and effect. The discipline could be used to decipher solutions to many quandaries, and sometimes those solutions are counter-intuitive. His underscoring of the need for liberty was refreshing. In today’s era of identity politics, he was unabashed in his conservative viewpoints, and always used empirical facts to support his hypothesis. His life story proves that anyone, regardless of circumstances, can become successful with ambition and dedication. I was never one of his students, but felt like I knew him through his writings. His death is an immense loss for the country.
David Henderson
Dec 4 2020 at 11:33am
Nicely said. As my wife, who has lived with an economist for 38 years, says when her friends find out I’m an economist and say that he must write a lot about money, “No, he writes a lot about human behavior.”
Robert Stewart
Dec 3 2020 at 10:18am
Walter was a joy to read. Both he and his friend Thomas Sowell shone bright lights onto economic issues.
A great man, and a great economist. So sorry to hear the news, and not to be able to read his articles.
Anthony Machi
Dec 3 2020 at 10:45am
David:
I doubt you remember me, but I invited you once to speak with Walter before my cameras at the Hoover for my documentary biography, “Walter Williams: Suffer No Fools.”
I’m proud to say that Walter was a friend. Those who knew him personally and millions of others will miss his wisdom, wit, and staunch support of liberty and free-market economics.
He often claimed the “E” in his name – Walter E. Williams – stood for “excellence.”
My heart goes out to his family, especially his daughter, Devon.
Best,
Tony
David Henderson
Dec 4 2020 at 11:32am
Anthony,
I don’t remember your face but I do remember the event. That’s when John Taylor, Walter, and I were interviewed, right? And if that’s the event you’re mentioning, I remember Walter’s clever comment about how it made sense to spend big on his daughter’s wedding because, as he said, quoting Tom Sowell, “There are no Brinks trucks in funeral processions.”
Pearl
Dec 3 2020 at 11:58am
I first heard Walter Williams when he filled in for Rush & tried to listen every time I heard he’d be in that powerful seat. I liked him even better than Rush. Then I found his columns. I’ll miss him tremendously.
Harold
Dec 3 2020 at 2:03pm
The epitome of Alchian — many questions — few answers, at least right away. Think about it ( for a few years)
Chris Clark
Dec 3 2020 at 8:13pm
I wish O had Professor Williams gift for words so I could adequately express the loss I felt at hearing of his passing. I did not know him personally or have the chance to take a class from him, but I have been reading his articles, columns, and books since my first Econ class 30 years ago, and it’s safe to say that he taught me more about economics and logical arguments than anyone else.
My heart goes out to his family and friends at this time of loss.
David Henderson
Dec 4 2020 at 11:29am
Thanks, Chris. Although I’m not family and wasn’t even a friend, Walter and I were friendly and I had the sense that if I had lived in Philly, I would have tried to get together with him as often as possible. He welcomed me into his home once when I was a faculty member at an Institute for Humane Studies colloquium at Bryn Mawr in, I believe, the mid-1990s, and he and his wife were very gracious.
Mark Brady
Dec 5 2020 at 2:23pm
It was an undergraduate seminar at Bryn Mawr, and at his request Professor Walter Williams was rewarded with a box of wine rather than (taxable) monetary compensation for his talk. (I directed the seminar, and although I well remember Walter Williams driving in to give the speech, I had forgotten that you, David, were a faculty member at the seminar!)
David Henderson
Dec 6 2020 at 3:03pm
Nice story, Mark, but no that wasn’t it.
The seminar I taught at was “Liberty in Film and Fiction.” The IHS organizer, who was present, was Marty Zupan. The other two faculty members besides me were David Hart and Pam Regis.
Mark Brady
Dec 7 2020 at 8:48pm
Thank you, David, for the clarification. No wonder I don’t remember you. You weren’t at the seminar I directed!
Bradford Baldus
Dec 3 2020 at 11:09pm
I had Dr. Williams for Intro to Economics at Temple and I wasn’t getting it so I went to see him during office hours and he wasn’t going to let me not get it. He made me come over and over again until the light came on. subsequently I went on to law school where I could not have made my way through it adequately without the basis in economic analysis Dr. Williams gifted me. I am ever grateful to him. What an extraordinary educator and kind man.
David Henderson
Dec 4 2020 at 11:27am
Great story! Thanks, Bradford.
Dan
Dec 5 2020 at 7:37am
Dr. Williams, although I never had the honor of meeting him, was one of my favorite people in this world. I so enjoyed listening to and reading his work. His passing is very sad indeed.
Tom Page
Dec 6 2020 at 10:20am
The U. S. Constitution had no better friend , Godspeed Dr. Williams
carrolby smithers
Dec 7 2020 at 10:22am
So sad to hear about Dr. Williams passing. I enjoyed and was enlightened by who he was and by his logic and wisdom. For a man like him, 84 years are just too few. America needs you now more than ever. God bless you and the work that you have done! May your influence remain strong long after you.
Mary Rose Dundon
Dec 7 2020 at 11:25am
Walter was a dear friend. He was kind, generous, funny, and loved to teach. I will miss him more than words can say. Let us continue to carry forward his wisdom and his love of liberty. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers. Ciao, my friend.
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