Edward H. Crane (1944-2026) was the co-founder and former President of the Cato Institute, which he established in 1974 in Wichita, Kansas, with financial backing from Charles Koch. Initially operating as a three-person organization in San Francisco, it relocated to Washington, D.C., where it grew into a leading libertarian think tank promoting individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peaceful international relations. In 1972, he served as chairman of the Southern California Libertarian Party. Dubbed 'the lion king of button-down libertarianism' by the Washington Post, Crane pioneered framing political debates as between civil society (voluntary sector) and political society (government power), guiding Cato's growth into a prominent public policy research organization while insisting on firm libertarian principles. He was a long-time member of the Board of Directors for the Institute for Free Speech and passed away on February 10, 2026, prompting remembrances highlighting his dedication to libertarian ideals and influence on public policy discourse.