Mark Thornton (born June 7, 1960) is an American

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

of the

Austrian School The Austrian School is a heterodox school of economic thought that advocates strict adherence to methodological individualism, the concept that social phenomena result exclusively from the motivations and actions of individuals. Austrian school ...

. DiLorenzo, Thomas (2011-02-11
My Associations with Liars, Bigots, and Murderers
''

LewRockwell.com Llewellyn Harrison Rockwell Jr. (born July 1, 1944) is an American author, editor, and political consultant. A libertarian and a self-professed anarcho-capitalist, he founded and is the chairman of the Mises Institute, a non-profit dedicated to ...

'' He has written on the topic of

prohibition of drugs The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances. While some drugs are illegal to possess, many governments regulate the ...

, the economics of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and the " Skyscraper Index". He is a Senior Fellow with the

Ludwig von Mises Institute Ludwig von Mises Institute for Austrian Economics, or Mises Institute, is a libertarian nonprofit think tank headquartered in Auburn, Alabama, United States. It is named after the Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973). It wa ...

Mark Thornton fellow page

website, ''accessed December 21, 2013.'' in Alabama and a Research Fellow with the

Independent Institute The Independent Institute is an American libertarian think tank based in Oakland, California. Founded in 1986 by David J. Theroux, the institute focuses on political, social, economic, legal, environmental, and foreign policy issues. It has more ...

.Mark Thornton biography page
at

website, ''accessed December 21, 2013.''

Life and academic career

Thornton grew up in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

, in an Irish Catholic family of entrepreneurs who were "Democrat in politics".Joseph S. Diedrich
Libertarian America: A conversation with Mark Thornton

Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

, March 24, 2013. Thornton received his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from St. Bonaventure University (1982), and his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degree from

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

(1989). Thornton taught

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

. He formerly taught at

Columbus State University Columbus State University is a public university in Columbus, Georgia. Founded as Columbus College in 1958, the university was established and is administered by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. History The university w ...

where he was awarded the Faculty Research and Scholarship Award in 2002. He is now a Senior Fellow at the

, where he is book review editor for its ''

Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics The ''Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering heterodox economics published by the Ludwig von Mises Institute.Lee, Frederic S., and Cronin, Bruce C. (2010)"Research Quality Rankings of Hetero ...

''. As a writer for the

Mises Institute Ludwig von Mises Institute for Austrian Economics, or Mises Institute, is a libertarian nonprofit think tank headquartered in Auburn, Alabama, United States. It is named after the Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973). It wa ...

, he is known for warning of a housing bubble in 2004. published an articleHe has written about prohibition-related issues.

Prohibition studies

Thornton's first book, ''The Economics of Prohibition'', was praised by Thornton's supervisor at the Mises Institute, its vice-president

Murray Rothbard Murray Newton Rothbard (; March 2, 1926 – January 7, 1995) was an American economist of the Austrian School, economic historian, political theorist, and activist. Rothbard was a central figure in the 20th-century American libertarian m ...

, who is quoted on the book cover of the 2007 edition as writing: "Thornton's book... arrives to fill an enormous gap, and it does so splendidly...This is an excellent work making an important contribution to scholarship as well as to the public policy debate." Reviewer

David R. Henderson David Richard Henderson (born November 21, 1950) is a Canadian-born American economist and author who moved to the United States in 1972 and became a U.S. citizen in 1986, serving on President Ronald Reagan's Council of Economic Advisers from 198 ...

of the Hoover Institution wrote, "Thornton's book contains much valuable information on prohibition and cites many sources. But the economically literate book on prohibition that makes a case for legalization has yet to be written." Thornton debated the War on Drugs at Oxford Union in 2014. Libertarian organizations have published Thornton's articles on drug and alcohol prohibition, and he was once interviewed on the topic of prohibition by

Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C ...

. Thornton contributed a chapter to Jefferson Fish's book ''How to Legalize Drugs''.

Political activities

Thornton ran for

US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washingto ...

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

.Gadsden Times
Nov 4, 1984. Thornton has been the vice chairman and chairman of the Libertarian Party of Alabama. In 1988, he became the first

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

office-holder in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

when he was elected

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

, a local law-enforcement position.Mark Thornton faculty page
, Ludwig Von Mises Institute website, ''accessed December 21, 2013. He was the Libertarian Party's Candidate for the US Senate in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

. He was also endorsed by the Reform Party, and came in third of four candidates.

Books

*
The Economics of Prohibition
'. Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, 1991. () * '' Tariffs, Blockades, and Inflation: The Economics of the Civil War'' (with

Robert B. Ekelund, Jr Robert Burton Ekelund Jr. (born 1940) is an American economist. Education Originally from Galveston, Texas, Ekelund attended St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, earning his BBA in economics in 1962 and his MA in economics and history ...

). Delaware: Scholarly Resource Books, 2004. () *
The Quotable Mises
' (editor). Auburn, AL: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2005. () * ''The Bastiat Collection'' (editor)
Volume 1
an
Volume 2
Auburn, AL: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2007. ()
''An Essay on Economic Theory: An English translation of Richard Cantillon’s Essai sur la Nature du Commerce en Général''
(Thornton, editor; Chantal Saucier, translator) Auburn, AL: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2010. ()

References

External links

Mark Thornton, profile in Mises.org
*
How Prohibition Made Pot More Potent: Q&A with Auburn University's Mark Thornton
" July 2013, ''Reason'' magazine video, five minutes * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, Mark 1960 births Living people 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American male writers Alabama Libertarians American economics writers 21st-century American economists American political writers Auburn University alumni Auburn University faculty Austrian School economists American drug policy reform activists Mises Institute people Place of birth missing (living people) American male non-fiction writers