Edwin J. Feulner, a co-founder of the Heritage Foundation who transformed the think tank into one of Washington, D.C.’s most influential conservative policy organizations, died on Friday. He was 83.
A co-founder of the Washington, D.C.-based think tank in 1973, Feulner served as its longest-serving president, leading the organization from 1977 to 2013 and again for an interim period from 2017 to 2018.
During his leadership, Feulner pioneered a new model for conservative policy advocacy that helped shape Reagan-era reforms and introduced market-based ideas into the political mainstream. His influence continued in recent years; he served on Donald Trump’s presidential transition team in 2016 and remained active with Project 2025, a Heritage-led initiative developing policy proposals for a potential second Trump administration.
In a joint statement, Heritage President Kevin Roberts and Board of Trustees Chairman Barb Van Andel-Gaby described Feulner as “a visionary, a builder, and a patriot of the highest order.” They added, “His unwavering love of country and his determination to safeguard the principles that made America the freest, most prosperous nation in human history shaped every fiber of the conservative movement—and still do.”
The statement highlighted Feulner’s philosophy of “big-tent conservatism,” noting his belief in “addition, not subtraction. Unity, not uniformity.” Roberts and Van Andel-Gaby also recalled his signature phrases, or “Feulnerisms,” such as “People are policy,” and his reminder that “In Washington, there are no permanent victories and no permanent defeats.”
A former congressional aide and the author of nine books, Feulner’s cause of death was not disclosed by the foundation. He is survived by his wife, Lina, their children, and grandchildren.
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