Dr. F. A. “Baldy” Harper launches the Institute for Humane Studies from his family’s garage in Menlo Park, California. Years earlier, while a professor at Cornell, Harper had faced administrative pressure when he assigned a seminal text of twentieth-century political economy: Friedrich Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom. That experience prompted Harper to leave academia and begin exploring how to better promote “the pursuit of discoveries... on the vital problems of human liberty.” His answer was IHS.

The Cold War requires new approaches to peace, personal freedom, and market exchange. At a time when Soviet communism deprived millions of their lives and livelihoods, Hayek himself was elaborating alternatives from our offices. IHS hosts landmark conferences that helped shape emerging conversations in political economy and constitutional thought.

IHS launches a new strategy to mentor and support rising scholars, laying the foundation for its long-term talent development model. IHS relocates to George Mason University to deepen its academic connections.

IHS broadens its work beyond the academy, investing in public scholarship and platforms that bring liberal ideas into wider conversation. In 2011, IHS launches the first YouTube channel dedicated to helping young people understand the liberal tradition. In 2026, IHS launches Liberalism.org with contributions from leading scholars and essayists. Academically, the groundwork laid in the 20th century continues paying dividends—in 2025, IHS-affiliated faculty reached nearly 425,000 undergraduates. IHS grows its network to 7,000+ members.