Bruno Leoni

Bruno Leoni (26 April 1913 – 21 November 1967) was an Italian classical-liberal political philosopher and lawyer. He taught at the University of Pavia, where he was Dean of the Department of Political Sciences. During World War II, Leoni served in the "A Force," an organization dedicated to rescuing prisoners of war in Italy. He was also the founder and editor of the political science journal *Il Politico* and served as secretary and later president of the Mont Pelerin Society. Leoni is recognized as one of the pioneers of the Law and Economics school, alongside Richard Posner. His work significantly influenced contemporary libertarianism, with his philosophy emphasizing the importance of individual liberty and limiting the scope of political intervention. Leoni's thought stressed that a legal framework based on common law, rather than legislation, was more conducive to a free society due to its inherent stability and the information it generates through case law. He tragically died in 1967, murdered in Alpignano. In 2003, the Bruno Leoni Institute, a free-market think-tank, was founded in his honor by Italian libertarian scholars Carlo Lottieri, Alberto Mingardi, and Carlo Stagnaro.