The Top 5 Most Libertarian Former Politicians (Other Than Ron Paul)

by Ian Tartt

Yep, not all politicians are authoritarian sellouts. Everyone knows about Ron Paul, but not everyone is familiar with the great libertarians who came before him. Although the following men are in the minority of both presidents and politicians, they all deserve a shout out for conforming much more closely to the Constitution than almost all the rest. Any of them would make a much better president than anyone we’ve had in over half a century.

1. John Tyler

Despite being largely forgotten today, and considered to be one of the worst presidents by modern political historians, tenth president John Tyler stuck to the Constitution more closely than nearly any other president. Tyler was the first vice president to become president due to the inability of the president to fulfill his responsibilities, in this case the death of William Henry Harrison a month into his term. Due to his vetoing two bills intended to reestablish a central bank several years after Andrew Jackson helped eliminate the Second Bank of the United States, Tyler was kicked out of the Whig Party while still in office. Imagine that happening to a politician today. Still, he refused to abuse his powers or give in to the unconstitutional platform of the Whig Party, a move that lead to charges of impeachment. Unlike in the attempted impeachment of Richard Nixon, Tyler’s only “crime” was obeying the Constitution. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have such a man in the White House once again?