Edward Harrison Crane (born August 15, 1944) is an American libertarian and co-founder of the Cato Institute.
[2] He directed the Party as its National Chair from 1974 to 1977,[3] worked on John Hospers's Presidential bid and managed Ed Clark's 1978 campaign for Governor of California.
[4] Prior to founding the Cato Institute, Crane was chartered financial analyst and vice president of Alliance Capital in California.
The Kochs contended that the shares of deceased shareholder William Niskanen should have been offered to the Institute first, and not passed to his widow.
Crane later said that he spoke to New Yorker journalist Jane Meyer, whose reporting indicated the conflict was also about the ideological direction of the Institute.