In a profound loss for the conservative movement, Edwin J. Feulner, the visionary co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, has died at the age of 83.
According to Fox News, Feulner, who passed away on Friday, leaves behind a legacy as a titan of policy advocacy in Washington, D.C., having shaped the Heritage Foundation into a cornerstone of conservative thought since its inception in 1973.
Back in the early days, Feulner teamed up with like-minded thinkers to establish the think tank, aiming to counter the progressive tide with hard-hitting, market-based ideas.
By 1977, Feulner took the helm as president, a role he held longer than anyone else, steering the organization from 1977 to 2013 and briefly again from 2017 to 2018.
Under his watch, the Heritage Foundation didn’t just grow—it exploded into one of the most influential policy shops in the capital, crafting ideas that fueled major reforms during the Reagan years.
Feulner’s model of advocacy wasn’t about sitting in ivory towers; it was about rolling up sleeves and getting conservative principles into the political mainstream, something the left still can’t quite stomach.
Heritage President Kevin Roberts and Board Chairman Barb Van Andel-Gaby called Feulner “a visionary, a builder, and a patriot,” high praise that barely scratches the surface of his impact.
Let’s be real—while some on the progressive side might grimace at his influence, Feulner’s knack for uniting conservatives under a big-tent approach built a movement that’s hard to ignore.
His involvement in Project 2025, a set of right-wing policy proposals for a potential second Trump term, showed he never stopped pushing the envelope, even if it ruffled feathers across the aisle.
Feulner didn’t just theorize; he got in the trenches, serving on Donald Trump’s transition team for the first term and working alongside Roberts to meet with Trump ahead of recent political cycles.
His role in shaping transition plans for a possible second term drew both cheers from the right for its boldness and predictable criticism from those who fear a stronger conservative agenda. Roberts and Van Andel-Gaby noted Feulner’s mantra, “People are policy,” a reminder that his mission was always about empowering the next wave of leaders to fight for freedom and founding principles.
They also recalled his wisdom on perseverance, saying Feulner taught that “there are no permanent victories” or defeats in Washington—a fitting lesson for a movement often battling uphill against a progressive establishment.
Beyond Heritage, Feulner’s reach touched numerous conservative groups, nine authored books, and a past as a congressional aide, proving he was no one-trick pony in the fight for limited government.
Survived by his wife, Lina, along with their children and grandchildren, Feulner leaves a personal legacy as enduring as his professional one, though the cause of his passing remains undisclosed by Heritage. His absence is a blow, but his ideas remain a blueprint for conservatives tired of ceding ground to a woke cultural shift; let’s hope the next generation takes his “Feulnerisms” to heart and multiplies the fight for faith, family, and freedom.
