Edwin J. Feulner, co-founder of the nonprofit organization the Heritage Foundation and a key architect of the modern conservative movement, died on July 18, 2025 at the age of 83. Born in Chicago in 1941, Feulner helped launch the Heritage Foundation in 1973 and served as its president from 1977 to 2013, returning briefly in 2017–2018. Under his leadership, the think tank became one of the most influential conservative institutions in the United States, known for producing policy proposals that were ready for implementation, particularly during the Reagan administration when Heritage played a pivotal role in shaping domestic and foreign policy.
Feulner championed a results-oriented, action-driven model for think tanks, transforming Heritage into what many described as the intellectual backbone of the conservative movement. In his later years, Feulner remained deeply involved in right-wing political strategy. He served on Donald Trump’s 2016 transition team and contributed the foreword to Project 2025—a Heritage-led policy blueprint for a potential second Trump administration. This initiative has sparked significant controversy for advocating sweeping expansions of executive power, dismantling of federal agencies, and a rollback of civil service protections—proposals critics say amount to authoritarian overreach. Detractors have also accused the Heritage Foundation, under Feulner’s leadership, of promoting policies that disproportionately favored corporate interests, undermined social safety nets, and fueled partisan division.
By contrast, Feulner’s supporters credit him with reshaping the conservative movement into a disciplined, policy-driven force. He authored nine books, mentored generations of conservative leaders, and held leadership roles in several influential organizations, including the Philadelphia Society, Mont Pelerin Society, and the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Following his death, the Heritage Foundation described him as “a visionary, a builder, and a patriot of the highest order.”