Full History Of Cato Institute In Timeline From 1977

January 1977: Institute Founding in San Francisco

In January 1977, the Cato Institute was founded in San Francisco, California. The name was suggested by cofounder Rothbard, inspired by Cato's Letters.

1977: Publication of Inquiry Magazine

From 1977 to 1982, Cato published Inquiry Magazine before transferring it to the Libertarian Review Foundation.

1977: Cato Institute Founded

In 1977, the Cato Institute was founded in Washington, D.C. by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch. The organization aimed to increase public advocacy, media exposure, and societal influence.

1978: Publication of Literature of Liberty

From 1978 to 1979, Cato published Literature of Liberty before transferring it to the Institute for Humane Studies.

1979: Transfer of Literature of Liberty

In 1979, Cato transferred Literature of Liberty to the Institute for Humane Studies.

1981: Rothbard Removed and Relocation to D.C.

In 1981, Murray Rothbard was removed from the Cato Institute. The institute also relocated to Washington, D.C., initially settling on Capitol Hill.

1981: Cato Journal Publication

Since 1981, Cato has published the Cato Journal.

1982: Transfer of Inquiry Magazine

In 1982, Cato transferred Inquiry Magazine to the Libertarian Review Foundation.

1990: Acquisition of Regulation Magazine

In 1990, Cato acquired Regulation magazine.

1991: Opposition to Gulf War Operations

In 1991, Cato scholars opposed President George H. W. Bush's Gulf War operations. This position resulted in a loss of nearly $1 million in funding.

1993: Move to Massachusetts Avenue

In 1993, the Cato Institute moved to its current location on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C..

1995: Influence in Congress

In 1995, Nina Eastman reported about Cato staffers plotting strategy with House Majority Leader Dick Armey and his staff.

1996: Co-publication of Economic Freedom of the World Report

Since 1996, Cato is the co-publisher with Fraser of the U.S. edition of the Economic Freedom of the World annual report.

1998: Criticisms of Tobacco Industry Settlement

Cato published strong criticisms of the 1998 settlement which many U.S. states signed with the tobacco industry.

2001: Criticism of Bush Administration on Some Issues

From 2001, Cato scholars were critical of George W. Bush's Republican administration on several issues, including education, and excessive government spending.

January 2002: Carpenter's Criticism of Arguments to Justify Iraq Invasion

In January 2002, Ted Galen Carpenter criticized the arguments offered to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

2002: Call to Abandon Republican Energy Bill

In 2002, Cato president Ed Crane and Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope called for the abandonment of the Republican energy bill, arguing that it had become a gravy train for Washington, D.C., lobbyists.

2002: Establishment of the Milton Friedman Prize

Since 2002, the Cato Institute has been awarding the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty every two years. The prize recognizes significant contributions to advancing human freedom and includes a cash award of US$250,000.

December 2003: Global Warming Panel

In December 2003, a Cato panel including Patrick Michaels, Robert Balling and John Christy agreed that global warming is related to human activity but that many scientists and the media have overstated the danger.

2003: Criticism of Iraq Invasion

Cato scholars criticized President George W. Bush's 2003 invasion of Iraq.

2003: Amicus Brief in Lawrence v. Texas

In 2003, Cato filed an amicus brief in support of the Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down state laws against homosexual relations.

2003: Criticism of Bush Administration's Energy Policy

In 2003, Cato scholars Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren criticized the Bush administration's views on energy policy, calling the Republican Energy Bill "corporate welfare".

2003: Constitution and Environmental Protection

In 2003, libertarians associated with Cato contended that the Constitution is not adequate to guarantee the protection of private property rights regarding environmental protection.

2004: Support for Temporary Work Visas

In 2004, Cato scholar Daniel Griswold wrote in support of President George W. Bush's proposal to grant temporary work visas to otherwise undocumented laborers.

2004: Paper Arguing for Drug Reimportation

In 2004, the Cato Institute published a paper arguing in favor of "drug reimportation".

2005: Attack on Republican Energy Bill

In 2005, Cato scholar Jerry Taylor teamed up with Daniel Becker of the Sierra Club to attack the Republican Energy Bill as a give-away to corporate interests.

2006: Criticism of Federal Marriage Amendment

In 2006, Cato published a Policy Analysis criticising the Federal Marriage Amendment as unnecessary, anti-federalist, and anti-democratic.

2006: Criticism of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

In 2006, Cato published a study criticizing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

2006: Discussion of "Libertarian Democrat" Concept

In 2006, Markos Moulitsas proposed the term "Libertarian Democrat", and Cato's Brink Lindsey commented on potential alliances between libertarians and liberals while noting differences in economic policy views.

2006: Criticism of U.S. Drug Policy

In 2006, a Cato report by Radley Balko strongly criticized U.S. drug policy and the perceived growing militarization of U.S. law enforcement.

2006: Proposal for Balanced Budget Veto Amendment

In 2006, the Cato Institute published a study proposing a Balanced Budget Veto Amendment to the United States Constitution.

2008: Criticism of Presidential Candidates

During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Cato scholars criticized both major-party candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama.

2009: Ranked Fifth-Ranked Think Tank

In 2009, the Cato Institute was ranked as the fifth-ranked think tank in the world. This ranking was based on research, publications, and programs.

2009: Criticism of Bush Administration on Some Issues

Until 2009, Cato scholars were critical of George W. Bush's Republican administration on several issues, including education, and excessive government spending.

October 2011: Death of William A. Niskanen

In October 2011, William A. Niskanen, one of the four shareholders of the Cato Institute, passed away.

2011: Criticism of Libya Intervention

In 2011, Cato scholars criticized President Barack Obama's military intervention in Libya.

2011: Military Spending Cuts

In 2011, Christopher Preble said that the "scare campaign" to protect military spending from cuts under the Budget Control Act has backfired.

March 2012: Dispute over Niskanen's shares

In March 2012, a dispute arose regarding the ownership of William Niskanen's shares in the Cato Institute, following his death. Charles and David Koch filed suit, arguing the shares should be offered to the board first, while Ed Crane contended they belonged to Niskanen's widow.

June 2012: Settlement of Ownership Dispute

In June 2012, the Cato Institute announced an agreement in principle to settle the ownership dispute by changing its governing structure, replacing shareholders with a board. Ed Crane retired and was replaced by John A. Allison IV, and the Koch brothers dropped two lawsuits.

2012: Reported Support from Tobacco Industry

In 2012, The Nation reported support for Cato from the tobacco industry.

2012: Sexual Harassment Claim Settlement

In 2012, a settlement was reached regarding a sexual harassment claim against Ed Crane, according to Politico's report.

2012: Budget in 2012

In 2012, the Cato Institute had a budget of $23 million.

2012: Allison IV Nomination

In 2012, the relationship between Cato and the Ayn Rand Institute improved with the nomination of Cato's new president John A. Allison IV.

2012: Favorable Ranking of Programs

In 2012, various Cato Institute programs were favorably ranked in a survey on think tanks that was published by the University of Pennsylvania.

2014: Top Budget-Adjusted International Development Think Tank

In 2014, the Cato Institute topped the list of the budget-adjusted ranking of international development think tanks.

March 2015: Peter Goettler Succeeds Allison

In March 2015, John A. Allison IV retired as president of the Cato Institute and was succeeded by Peter Goettler.

2015: Revenue and Staff Size in 2015

In 2015, the Cato Institute's revenue exceeded $37 million. The organization had 124 employees on staff.

2015: Fiscal Year 2015 Revenue and Expenses

In fiscal year 2015, the Cato Institute reported revenue of $37.3 million and expenses of $29.4 million.

2015: Co-publication of Human Freedom Index

Since 2015, Cato co-publishes the annual Human Freedom Index with the Fraser Institute.

January 2017: Opposition to Executive Order 13769

In January 2017, Cato opposed Executive Order 13769, which decreased the number of refugees admitted into the United States.

2018: Allegations of Sexual Harassment Against Ed Crane

In 2018, several former Cato employees alleged that Ed Crane engaged in sexual harassment for a prolonged period, from the 1990s until his departure in 2012.

2019: Global Go to Think Tank Index Report

According to the 2019 Global Go to Think Tank Index Report, the Cato Institute was ranked as the 20th top think tank worldwide and 13th in the United States.

2019: Closure of Center for the Study of Science

In 2019, Cato closed its "Center for the Study of Science" after its head Pat Michaels left over disagreements, along with his collaborator Ryan Maue.

March 2020: Net Assets

In March 2020, Cato Institute reported Net assets of $81,391,000.

June 2020: Revised Think Tank Index Report

In June 2020, the 2019 Global Go to Think Tank Index Report was revised. The Cato Institute's ranking remained unchanged.

2020: As of 2020

As of 2020: No event happened, this is just a statement of time

2020: Global Go To Think Tank Index Ranking

In 2020, according to the Global Go To Think Tank Index Report, the Cato Institute was ranked number 27 among the "Top Think Tanks Worldwide" and number 13 in the "Top Think Tanks in the United States". It also received high rankings in various specific policy areas.