Ralph Nader

Ralph Nader is an author, lecturer, attorney and political activist. In 2006 he was cited by The Atlantic as one of the 100 most influential figures in American history. In 1965 he published “Unsafe at Any Speed,” a scathing indictment that lambasted the auto industry for producing unsafe vehicles. The book led to congressional hearings and a series of automobile safety laws passed in 1966. Nader has since published many bestselling books and hundreds of reports dealing with corporate and government accountability. He is a four-time candidate for president of the United States. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer and worker protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, democratic government and dismantling the corporate state.

Nader's lifelong work and advocacy has led to safer cars, healthier food, cleaner air and drinking water, and safer work environments. He is responsible for several major federal consumer protection laws, such as the motor vehicle safety laws and the Safe Drinking Water Act. Nader also played a vital role in the launching of federal regulatory agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and Consumer Product Safety Administration.

Nader-inspired groups include Public Citizen, the Center for Auto Safety, Clean Water Action Project, the Pension Rights Center, Freedom of Information Clearinghouse, the Princeton Alumni Corps, and Appleseed, a nonprofit network of public interest justice centers.

Nader also helped establish state-based PIRGs—Public Interest Research Groups—the student-funded and controlled organizations that function on college campuses in 23 states. The PIRGs have published hundreds of groundbreaking reports and guides, lobbied for laws in state legislatures and called the media's attention to environmental and energy problems.

In 2015, Nader launched the American Museum of Tort Law, the first museum focused solely on the law in North America. His newest book is “Breaking Through Power: It’s Easier Than We Think” (City Lights Books)—a scathing wake-up call detailing the many ways those with power and wealth manipulate our political economy.