Laurance Labadie

Laurance Labadie (June 4, 1898 – August 12, 1975) was an American individualist anarchist and author.

Laurance Labadie
BornJune 4, 1898
DiedAugust 12, 1975
OccupationAuthor
Parent(s)Joseph Labadie, Sophie Labadie

Career

Labadie worked in the car industry in Detroit, Michigan.[1]

Labadie became an anarchist author, at first mainly republishing articles of previous anarchist authors, and in the late 1930s he would start to publish his own work.[2]

In Anarchism Applied to Economics Labadie writes: "In a world where inequality of ability is inevitable, anarchists do not sanction any attempt to produce equality by artificial or authoritarian means. The only equality they posit and will strive their utmost to defend is the equality of opportunity. This necessitates the maximum amount of freedom for each individual. This will not necessarily result in equality of incomes or of wealth but will result in returns proportionate to services rendered. Free competition will see to that." (Labadie's emphasis)

Labadie was a supporter of jury nullification in an anarchist society. He criticised Murray Rothbard's proposed judicial system which would not allow jury nullification, saying it would uphold, "the very economic evils which are at bottom the very reason for human contention and conflict." [3]

Labadie was a strong critic of capitalism, referring to it as a system of "government protection and coddling" and its defect being the want of competition, and was an exponent of anti-capitalist individualism associated with Benjamin Tucker.[4]

Labadie was involved with multiple anarchist journals. Besides his "Discussion", he was also a contributor to "A Way Out", "The Interpreter" and "Journal of Human Relations". There he would often engage in debates with or critique contemporary anarchists and libertarians, such as Murray Rothbard, S.E. Parker and Ayn Rand.[2]

Personal life

Labadie was born on June 4, 1898. He was youngest child of Sophie and Jo Labadie. He was influenced by his father, and by age of 16 he would get involved in labor movement. He worked as a machinist in Detroit and was self taught. During the Great Depression, he would start his anarchist career with his periodical "Discussion - A Journal of Free Spirits".[2]

In World War II, Laurence would retire from his work and mainly focus on anarchism. He would meet Ralph Borsodi and his School of Living in late 40s and would stay friends with him until his death. After the death of Borsodi's wife, he would move to (and purchase) Borsodi's Doghouse Homestead in Suffern, New York. He would spend the rest of his life as a recluse, contributing to various libertarian journals. He died on August 12, 1975.[1][2]

Laurence Labadie was also a friend of monetary theorist Edwin Clarence Riegel and anarchist revisionist historian James J. Martin. He had no wife or kids but was fond of kids.[5]

See also

References
  1. Avrich, Paul (2005). Anarchist Voices: An Oral History of Anarchism in America. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. 15–16. ISBN 9780691034126. OCLC 30476588.
  2. "Laurance Labadie: Keeper Of The Flame". uncletaz.com. Retrieved 2019-10-26.
  3. quoted by Mildred J. Loomis and Mark A. Sullivan, "Laurance Labadie: Keeper Of The Flame", pp. 116-30, Benjamin R. Tucker and the Champions of Liberty, Coughlin, Hamilton and Sullivan (eds.), p. 124
  4. D'Amato, David S. (January 23, 2017). "Laurence Labadie, Gloomy Keeper of the Flame". Libertarianism.org. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  5. "Anarcho-Pessimism: The Collected Writings of Laurence Labadie", James J. Martin, pp. 119
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