State Policy Network joins a global network of liberty movement professionals in mourning the loss of Linda Whetstone, a lifelong champion of freedom who passed away in Miami on December 15, 2021.
Many of our Network leaders had the opportunity to see and talk with Linda during Atlas Network’s Liberty Forum and Freedom Dinner in Miami on December 13-14, 2021.
“Linda was the daughter of Sir Antony Fisher and recognized by so many as the matriarch of the liberty movement. It was an honor to have known her through the years. Her contributions and steadfast devotion to the global freedom movement leave a remarkable legacy. She will be dearly missed,” said SPN President Tracie Sharp.
Linda dedicated her life to helping people across the globe access the ideas of freedom so that they could personally understand and experience the benefits of liberty. In addition to her work with Atlas Network, her tenure at Network for a Free Society focused on educating college students who otherwise would not have had access to freedom-related texts or information. She even took it upon herself to translate liberty-focused books into multiple languages so that free-market ideas could cross borders.
Linda’s leadership in the world of ideas to advance a free society was recognized with her recent naming as President of the Mont Pelerin Society in 2020. Linda was the former board chairman at Atlas Network and was on the board of the Network for a Free Society (formerly the International Policy Network) since 2000. She was also on the board of directors for the Institute for Economic Affairs.
The liberty movement, worldwide and here in the states, will miss Linda’s presence, but she has left as her legacy a shining example of leadership, passion, and character that those of us in today’s movement can aspire to emulate.
“I was blessed to know Linda early in my career and to benefit from her unbounded energy, enthusiasm, and wisdom,” said Carl Helstrom, SPN board chairman and Vice President for Programs at the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. “I never knew her father, but it seems to me that she must truly have been a ‘chip off the old block’ and a credit to him and his philanthropic legacy. When I worked at Atlas Economic Research Foundation, during the early days of what is now Atlas Network, we fondly referred to Sir Antony as the Johnny Appleseed of the international free market movement. What he planted, she nurtured. A fitting example for all of us who are trampling out this vintage. Rest in peace, Linda.”
“Those who had the opportunity to work with Linda, or hear her speak, were inspired by her example. She was an enthusiastic mentor and champion of academics exploring economic freedom, activists fighting corrupt governments, think tank entrepreneurs, and those battling to protect free speech and private property.”
— Bridgett Wagner, SPN board member and Vice President for Policy Promotion at The Heritage Foundation
“Linda was a force. A passionate force. I have been blessed to work next to “Agent W” on the Atlas Network board, among countless friends of liberty in cities and countries around the globe. She would see me, smile, and get right to the point about something we needed to discuss or somebody I needed to meet. Then she’d crack a smile and ask how I was doing. Her DNA was global freedom. And that is precisely what she has left us.”
— Lawson Bader, SPN board member and CEO of DonorsTrust
“Linda Whetstone was the type of leader you could never accuse of ‘mission drift.’ She made the most of every trip, every meeting, and every conversation to further the causes about which she cared most. She led without ego. She was never so animated as when she was praising the work of others, particularly the activities of a new contact in whom she saw great potential and for whom she would work tirelessly to enlist the help of many others across her personal and professional networks. It is not possible to make a full accounting of all who benefited from her mentorship and friendship throughout the years and throughout the globe. We just know that, like us, today they are feeling the pain of this great loss.”
— Matt Warner, Atlas Network President
“Linda is one of the strongest influences on our movement. Her wisdom, strength of character and integrity, fortitude, and sharp intellect have guided us for years. Classical liberals the world over love and miss her and we will be guided by her wisdom for many years to come. Agent W, as we called her, was the best among us. Many thousands of people around the world are joined in grief at her loss. She was doing what she loved—helping people to realize their liberty—and she was surrounded by so many of those who love and admire her. We will remember her.”
— Dr. Tom G. Palmer, Executive Vice President for International Affairs and George M. Yeager Chair for Advancing Liberty, Atlas Network
“Linda Whetstone’s life work was dedicated to spreading freedom in places which lacked it most. She was a true champion and will be dearly missed. I am proud to have known her for so many years.”
— Dr. Wolf von Laer, CEO of Students for Liberty
Atlas Network Honors and Remembers Linda Whetstone
Atlas Network
In memoriam of Linda Whetstone, a dear friend of liberty
Students for Liberty
In Memoriam: Linda Whetstone
The Buckeye Institute
Remembering Linda Whetstone, Champion of Liberty
Bridgett Wagner and Anthony B. Kim at The Daily Signal
