Is FEE’s president emeritus, Humphreys Family Senior Fellow, and Ron Manners Global Ambassador for Liberty. He previously served as president of FEE and chaired its board of trustees. 

Larry served for twenty-one years as founding president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan. He also taught economics full-time at Northwood University in Michigan and chaired its Department of Economics.

He holds a BA in economics from Grove City College and an MA in history from Slippery Rock State University, both in Pennsylvania. He holds two honorary doctorates, one from Central Michigan University and the other from Northwood University.

A champion for liberty, Reed has authored nearly 2,000 newspaper columns and articles in magazines and journals in the United States and elsewhere, and has authored or coauthored eight books, the most recent being Was Jesus a Socialist? and Real Heroes: Inspiring True Stories of Courage, Character, and Conviction.

He has delivered dozens of speeches annually since 1985 in virtually every state and in dozens of countries, from Bulgaria to China to Bolivia. His best-known lectures include “Seven Principles of Sound Policy” and “Great Myths of the Great Depression,” both of which have been translated into at least a dozen languages and distributed worldwide. His interest in political and economic affairs has taken him to ninety-four countries on six continents.

His numerous recognitions include the Champion of Freedom Award from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Grove City College, and the Citizen Warrior Award from Heirs of the Republic.

In 2022, he was named by President Andrzej Duda of Poland as a recipient of the highest honor that Poland bestows upon a foreigner, the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, of which US President Ronald Reagan is among past recipients.