Education
He studied economics as an undergraduate at Texas Technical University and Howard Payne University, where he first encountered the literature of the Austrian School.
He studied economics as an undergraduate at Texas Technical University and Howard Payne University, where he first encountered the literature of the Austrian School.
Tucker is also a Distinguished Fellow of the Foundation for Economic Education, an adjunct scholar with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and an Acton Institute associate. He is past editorial vice president of the Ludwig von Mises Institute and past editor for the institute"s website, Mises.org. Tucker"s family is from southeastern Texas.
He later enrolled as a graduate student in economics at George Mason University, but developed an interest in journalism and went to work for Ron Paul during a period when Paul was not in public office.
Tucker first interacted with the Mises Institute while attending a journalism program in Washington, District of Columbia, where the organization maintained an office at the time. Tucker compiled an annotated bibliography of the works of Henry Hazlitt, entitled Henry Hazlitt: Giant Foreign Liberty, which is now in print.
As a writer, Tucker has contributed scholarly efforts and humorous essays to LewRockwell.com, the Ludwig von Mises Institute, and elsewhere. Tucker was editor of Mises.org from 1997 until late 2011 when he was hired by Addison Wiggin as executive editor of Laissez Faire Books.
He is now CLO of Liberty.me – a subscription-based "social network and online publishing platform for the liberty minded".
He has written several books: Bourbon for Breakfast: Living Outside the Statist Quo (2010), lieutenant’s a Jetson’s World: Private Miracles and Public Crimes (2011), Beautiful Anarchy: How to Create Your Own Civilization in the Digital Age (2012),Freedom Is a Do-lieutenant-Yourself Project (2013), and Sing Like a Catholic (2009). Four of his books have been translated into Spanish and published. In an interview with Reason, Timothy Virkkala, former managing editor of the libertarian magazine Liberty, alleged that Tucker played a role in the production of racially charged newsletters written on behalf of Ron Paul.
By Virkkala"s account, Tucker was an "assistant, probably a writer" who assisted "editor and chief writer" Lew Rockwell in creating the newsletters.
Eric Dondero, who served as (election) campaign coordinator and senior aide to Ron Paul in the mid to late 1990s, told the American Spectator that "Lew Rockwell and Jeff Tucker wrote the newsletters." According to reporting by Economist, "numerous veterans" of the libertarian movement said it was an "open secret" throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s that Tucker and Rockwell ghost wrote the newsletters. In response to questions about his role with the newsletters from Reason, Tucker said, "I just really am not going to make a statement, I"m sorry.
I"ll take all responsibility for being the editor of Mises.org, Oklahoma?".