Turning Point – 1977, the 1977 Libertarian Party National Convention was held at the Sheraton-Palace Hotel in San Francisco between July 12 and 17, 1977. It had more than 50 events and an estimated attendance of 1500 people.

Event

A march across the room was organized by a group of libertarian feminists in support of the Equal Rights Amendment; the March featured a few of the leading women in the movement and two men:

Robert Anton Wilson Robert Anton Wilson (born Robert Edward Wilson; January 18, 1932 – January 11, 2007) was an American author, futurist, psychologist, and self-described agnostic mystic. Recognized within Discordianism as an Episkopos, pope and saint, Wilson ...

and Steve Trinward.

Staff and committees

Walter Grinder, platform committee chair

Changes

* The Executive Committee was renamed the National Committee * The maximum number of regions was increased from 8 to 10

Speakers, panelists, and honorees

* Linda Abrams *

David Bergland David Peter Bergland (June 4, 1935 – June 3, 2019) was an American politician who was the United States Libertarian Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 1984 presidential election,Nathaniel Branden Nathaniel Branden (born Nathan Blumenthal; April 9, 1930 – December 3, 2014) was a Canadian–American psychotherapist and writer known for his work in the psychology of self-esteem. A former associate and romantic partner of Ayn Rand ...

, Objectivist leader * Karl Bray, tax activist *

Jim Eason Jim Eason is a conservative talk radio personality who hosted broadcasts from 1966 to 2000 in the San Francisco Bay Area. He always ended his talk shows with the catchphrase "Do what you can, but behave yourself". His early 1970s theme was "Hold ...

, radio talk show host *

John Hospers John Hospers (June 9, 1918 – June 12, 2011) was an American philosopher and political activist. Hospers was interested in Objectivism, and was once a friend of the philosopher Ayn Rand, though she later broke with him. In 1972, Hospers becam ...

* Diane Hunter-Smith * Ann Jackson *

Paul Krassner Paul Krassner (April 9, 1932 – July 21, 2019) was an American author, journalist, and comedian. He was the founder, editor, and a frequent contributor to the freethought magazine ''The Realist'', first published in 1958. Krassner became a key ...

, editor of ''

The Realist ''The Realist'' was a Humor magazine, magazine of "social-political-religious criticism and satire", intended as a hybrid of a grown-ups version of Mad (magazine), ''Mad'' and Lyle Stuart's anti-censorship monthly ''The Independent.'' Edited and ...

'' * Dr. Timothy Leary, 1960s Guru *

Roger MacBride Roger Lea MacBride (August 6, 1929 – March 5, 1995) was an American lawyer, political figure, writer, and television producer. He was the presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party in the 1976 election. MacBride became the first president ...

, 1976 presidential nominee * John D. Marks, co-author of '' The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence'' * Eugene McCarthy, independent presidential candidate and opponent of MacBride in 1976 *

Tonie Nathan Theodora Nathalia "Tonie" Nathan (February 9, 1923 – March 20, 2014) was an American radio producer, television producer, and political activist. She was the first woman to receive an electoral vote in a United States presidential election. Sh ...

, 1972 vice presidential candidate *

David Nolan (libertarian) David Fraser Nolan (; November 23, 1943 – November 21, 2010) was an American activist and politician. He was one of the founders of the Libertarian Party of the United States, having hosted the meeting in 1971 at which the Party was founded.Ma ...

, party founder * Ron Paul, former U.S. Congressman * Sharon Pressley * Earl Ravanel, unofficial shadow Secretary of State *

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 ...

, keynote speaker * Margo St James, chair of COYOTE *

, author

LNC

David Bergland David Peter Bergland (June 4, 1935 – June 3, 2019) was an American politician who was the United States Libertarian Party's nominee for President of the United States in the 1984 presidential election,Ed Clark Edward E. Clark (born May 4, 1930) is an American lawyer and politician who ran for governor of California in 1978, and for president of the United States as the nominee of the Libertarian Party in the 1980 presidential election. Clark is an h ...

, at large * Carol Cunningham, at large *

Eric Garris Eric Garris (born December 24, 1953) is an activist in the libertarian movement in the United States, reaching back to the Vietnam War. He is the founder and webmaster of a daily nonpartisan, news source Antiwar.com which was launched in 1995. B ...

, at large * John Hildberg, at large *

Charles Koch Charles de Ganahl Koch ( ; born November 1, 1935) is an American billionaire businessman. As of November 2022, he was ranked as the 13th richest person in the world on ''Bloomberg Billionaires Index'', with an estimated net worth of $66 billio ...

, at large *

Dick Randolph Richard L. Randolph (born April 10, 1936) is a longtime insurance agency owner in Fairbanks, Alaska who is best known as the first person to be elected to partisan office under the banner of the Libertarian Party with his election to the Alaska ...

, at large *

Bill Evers William Joseph Evers (born January 29, 1954) is an American professional baseball coach and a former minor league player and longtime manager and instructor. In November 2018, he was named a coach on the staff of Rocco Baldelli, the manager of ...

, regional representative * RA Childs, Jr., region 9 * Michael Fieschko, region 9 (alt?)

Other noted events

* William Westminster distributed a pamphlet entitled "On Account of Tyranny" * The

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

initially had a table, but was asked to leave after their $10 literature table fee was refunded. Their table had been singled out by a speech by David Nolan. * Aron Kay, pie-throwing

Yippie The Youth International Party (YIP), whose members were commonly called Yippies, was an American youth-oriented radical and countercultural revolutionary offshoot of the free speech and anti-war movements of the late 1960s. It was founded on ...

, was present on a mission to pie Timothy Leary

Bibliography

"National Convention 1977."''LPedia''.
* ''Against the Wall'' ( newsletter), vol. 5, no. 10.
"Libertarian Party National Convention – San Francisco, July 14–17, 1977."

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 ...

. :: Two typewritten pages containing the text of two resolutions adopted at the 1977: a condemnation of singer Anita Bryant's anti-gay campaign, and of the

Briggs Initiative California Proposition 6, informally known as the Briggs Initiative, was a ballot initiative put to a referendum on the California state ballot in the November 7, 1978 election. It was sponsored by John Briggs, a conservative state legislator ...

, a California proposition to bar homosexuals from working in public schools. * Palmer, Tom G., with

Tom Avery Thomas Avery, FRGS (born 17 December 1975) is a British explorer, author and motivational speaker. He made record-breaking journeys to the South Pole in 2002 and to the North Pole in 2005. He is one of fewer than ten people throughout history t ...

"The 1977 Libertarian Party National Convention."''Libertarianism.com''
(October 1977). * Times-Post Service. "Libertarian Coalition Made Up of Odds, Ends." '' Salinas Californian'' (July 15, 1977), p. 34. * Staff writer. "Liberatarians 'sic''Adopt 'Plank.'" ''

Santa Cruz Sentinel The ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'' is a daily newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California, covering Santa Cruz County, California, and owned by Media News Group. Ottaway Community Newspapers, a division of Dow Jones & Company bought the paper in 1982 ...

'' (July 21, 1977), p. 8. {{Authority control Libertarian Party (United States) National Conventions

Libertarian National Convention The Libertarian National Convention is held every two years by the Libertarian Party (United States) to choose members of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), and to conduct other party business. In presidential election years, the conventi ...

Political conventions in California

Political events in the San Francisco Bay Area Conventions in San Francisco