BASTIAT, Claude-Fredric

Born: June 29, 1801, in Mugrone, near Bayonne, France

Died: December 24, 1850, in Rome, Italy

Bastiat was a French economist heavily influenced by the thinking of Scotsman Adam Smith, and best known for his strong belief in the virtues of free trade. In 1846 Bastiat founded the Association for Free Trade, and used its journal to champion anti- protectionism views. He satirized those who desired protectionism in his well-known fictional tale about candle makers who argued that the Sun was constituting unfair competition and therefore should be eliminated.

During the Revolution he advocated against socialism and communism through his writings in the magazine Le Libre Echange and subsequently won a seat on the constituent assembly in 1849. Bastiat died in Rome at age 49 while his main work, Harmonies Economique, was still in progress.