L Neil Smith
| L Neil Smith | |
 | |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth: | 12 May 1946 |
| Occupation: | writer |
| Residence: | Colorado |
| Party: | Libertarian Party |
| view image gallery | |
Lester Neil Smith III (12 May 1946 – 27 August 2021) was an American libertarian science fiction author, political activist, commentator, and firearms rights advocate, best known for his North American Confederacy series, which vividly depicts anarcho-capitalist societies, and for founding the Prometheus Award to recognize libertarian-themed fiction.[1][2]
His works and activism deeply intertwined with the libertarian movement, promoting individual liberty, voluntaryism, free markets, armed self-defense, and resistance to statism, influencing generations within the Libertarian Party and broader anarchist circles.[3][4]
Early Life
Born in Denver, Colorado, Smith grew up in a military family, with his father serving as an Air Force officer. This led to frequent relocations during his childhood, including stints in Texas, Kansas, California, Illinois, Newfoundland, and Florida, where he graduated high school in Fort Walton Beach.[5][6]
Writing Career
Smith began his writing career in the late 1970s, gaining prominence with libertarian science fiction that often explored themes of individual liberty, minimal government, free-market societies, and anarcho-capitalist ideals in alternate histories.[7]
His debut novel, The Probability Broach (1980), introduced the North American Confederacy series, depicting a libertarian utopia arising from a divergent American Revolution where the Whiskey Rebellion succeeds, leading to a society without coercive government, emphasizing voluntary associations and personal sovereignty.[8]
The series expanded with titles like The Venus Belt (1980), Their Majesties' Bucketeers (1981), The Nagasaki Vector (1983), Tom Paine Maru (1984), The Gallatin Divergence (1985), and The American Zone (2001).[9]
He also wrote the Lando Calrissian trilogy for the Star Wars expanded universe (1983), later collected as The Lando Calrissian Adventures. Other notable works include the Ngu Family Saga (Pallas in 1993, Ceres in 2009, Ares in 2023 co-authored with his daughter Rylla), The Crystal Empire (1986), Henry Martyn (1989), The Forge of the Elders (2000), and the graphic novel Roswell, Texas (2006, with Rex F May). Smith's non-fiction included essay collections like Lever Action (2001) and Down With Power (2013), which critiqued government overreach and advocated for libertarian principles.[10][11]
Smith's stories frequently critiqued statism and promoted anarcho-capitalist ideals, earning him multiple Prometheus Awards, which he helped establish in 1979 through the Libertarian Futurist Society — a group he co-founded to promote libertarian ideas in speculative fiction.[12][13]
He won for The Probability Broach (1981), Pallas (1994), The Forge f the Elders (2001), Ceres (2011), and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.[14][15]
His fiction served as a vehicle for libertarian philosophy, portraying worlds where individual rights triumph over collectivism.[16]
Libertarian Philosophy
Smith identified as an anarcho-capitalist and voluntaryist, advocating for societies based on unanimous consent rather than coercive governance.[17][18]
He authored the "Covenant of Unanimous Consent," a foundational document in voluntaryist thought, proposing it as an alternative to traditional social contracts by emphasizing non-aggression and mutual agreement.[19]
His philosophy blended paleolibertarian views with a strong emphasis on gun rights, viewing armed self-defense as essential to liberty.[20]
Smith's ideas influenced discussions within anarchist and libertarian circles, often critiquing both left- and right-wing statism while promoting free enterprise and personal sovereignty.[21]
Libertarian Activism
Smith's involvement in the libertarian movement dated back to the 1960s, where he connected with key figures and ideas that shaped anarcho-capitalism.[22]
He joined the Libertarian Party in 1972 and served on its Platform Committee in 1977 and 1979, helping to craft policies aligned with radical libertarianism.[23]
He ran unsuccessfully for the Colorado state legislature in 1978 against Republican Ronald Strahle.[24]
In 1999, Smith initiated a bid for the U.S. presidency, initially as an independent, seeking 1,000,000 online signatures, but it garnered fewer than 1,500 and quietly ended. He then pursued the Libertarian Party nomination but lost decisively to Harry Browne, receiving only 9% in the California primary against Browne's 71%. Due to an internal dispute in the Arizona Libertarian Party, a splinter faction (ruled by court as the official state party but not recognized nationally) placed Smith on the Arizona ballot as the Libertarian candidate instead of Browne. Browne was forced to attempt an independent run but could not appear on the ballot, while Smith and running mate Vin Suprynowicz received 5,775 votes (0.38% in Arizona).[25][26][27]
Regarding LP presidential efforts for the 2000 election cycle, Smith reportedly wrote an article discussing the liberating aspect of having no realistic chance of winning, allowing a candidate to address controversial "third rail" issues fearlessly[citation requested]. Smith endorsed initiatives like the Free State Project and Michael Badnarik's 2004 presidential campaign. He co-founded The Libertarian Enterprise, an online journal where he contributed essays on gun rights, individual sovereignty, and anti-authoritarianism, often under a paleolibertarian lens.[28]
His activism extended to firearms advocacy, aligning with Second Amendment absolutism within the libertarian movement.[29]
Death and Legacy
Smith passed away on 27 August 2021, in Fort Collins, Colorado, at the age of 75, after a period of declining health.[30][31][32]
His work influenced generations of libertarians by blending speculative fiction with political philosophy, emphasizing armed self-defense, free enterprise, and resistance to coercion. Obituaries highlighted his roles as a novelist, gunsmith, musician, and futurist, cementing his place in the libertarian and anarchist traditions.[33][34]
References
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Neil_Smith
- ↑ https://locusmag.com/2021/08/l-neil-smith-1946-2021/
- ↑ https://www.lfs.org/blog/l-neil-smith-on-his-work-the-prometheus-award-and-his-influences/
- ↑ https://file770.com/l-neil-smith-1946-2021/
- ↑ https://lneilsmith.org/whoislns.html
- ↑ https://locusmag.com/2021/08/l-neil-smith-1946-2021/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Neil_Smith
- ↑ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/93656.L_Neil_Smith
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Neil_Smith
- ↑ https://www.worldswithoutend.com/author.asp?ID=2680
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Neil_Smith
- ↑ https://www.lfs.org/awards.shtml
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_Award
- ↑ https://www.sfwa.org/2016/01/29/l-neil-smith-lifetime-achievement-award/
- ↑ https://www.lfs.org/blog/remembering-five-time-prometheus-winner-l-neil-smith-on-his-birthday/
- ↑ https://www.lfs.org/blog/l-neil-smith-on-his-work-the-prometheus-award-and-his-influences/
- ↑ https://lneilsmith.org/utopian.html
- ↑ https://www.panarchy.org/neilsmith/unanimousconsent.html
- ↑ https://stevegrande.com/political/covenant.html
- ↑ https://file770.com/l-neil-smith-1946-2021/
- ↑ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/93656.L_Neil_Smith
- ↑ https://www.lfs.org/blog/l-neil-smith-on-his-work-the-prometheus-award-and-his-influences/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Neil_Smith
- ↑ https://locusmag.com/2021/08/l-neil-smith-1946-2021/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_Libertarian_Party
- ↑ https://alp-vs-alp-inc.tripod.com/presidential_election_2000.html
- ↑ https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?elect=0&f=0&fips=4&off=0&year=2000
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Neil_Smith
- ↑ https://file770.com/l-neil-smith-1946-2021/
- ↑ https://everloved.com/life-of/lester-smith/
- ↑ https://locusmag.com/2021/08/l-neil-smith-1946-2021/
- ↑ https://www.sfwa.org/2021/08/31/in-memoriam-neil-smith/
- ↑ https://www.lfs.org/blog/l-neil-smith-memorial-site-set-up/
- ↑ https://file770.com/l-neil-smith-1946-2021/
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