Dr. Charles Murray

Charles Murray is a political scientist, author, and libertarian. He first came to national attention in 1984 with the publication of Losing Ground, which has been credited as the intellectual foundation for the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. His 1994 New York Times bestseller, The Bell Curve (Free Press, 1994), coauthored with the late Richard J. Herrnstein, sparked heated controversy for its analysis of the role of IQ in shaping America’s class structure. Murray's other books include What It Means to Be a Libertarian (1997), Human Accomplishment (2003), In Our Hands (2006), and Real Education (2008). His most recent book, Coming Apart (Crown Forum, 2012), describes an unprecedented divergence in American classes over the last half century.

• AEI scholar since 1990
• Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, 1982-90
• Research Scientist, American Institutes for Research, 1969-1970, 1974-1981
• Peace Corps Volunteer and US-AID contractor in Thailand, 1965-69

• Ph.D., political science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• B.A., history, Harvard University