• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Ron Paul’s pick for Fed chair: No one

By
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 9, 2013, 2:41 PM ET

FORTUNE — The bids of Larry Summers and Janet Yellen to replace Ben Bernanke just took a hit.

Ron Paul, the famously libertarian politician and former presidential candidate, has his own choice for the next chair of the Federal Reserve, and it isn’t Summers or Yellen. Paul’s pick for the next Fed head: No one.

Here’s what Paul had to say via a spokesperson:

Dr. Paul would prefer we get rid of central economic planning via a central bank. All mentioned candidates believe that one person or a committee has the knowledge to dictate the correct interest rate and rate of growth of the money supply, which they do not.

The main point is that Dr. Paul doesn’t believe the current failed policies of the Reserve would change if any of the mentioned candidates were to become Fed Chair.

The above statement leaves open the possibility that Paul might support someone for Fed chair. But in a follow up e-mail with his spokesperson, she confirmed that Paul’s current top pick for Fed chair was, indeed, no one. If he had to pick, she said he wouldn’t.

MORE: The bailout Wall Street is blocking from Main Street

Paul penned the book End the Fed in 2009, and is now the chairman for the Campaign for Liberty. The organization’s website says its mission is to promote and defend liberty. As part of that mission, the non-profit organization opposes the Fed “for economic and moral reasons.” It says the U.S. “central bank’s ability to create money out of thin air transfers wealth from the most vulnerable to those with political pull,” and that the Fed had “reduced the value of the dollar by 95 percent since it began in 1913.”

In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Senator Rand Paul ( R-KY), who is Ron Paul’s son, said his preferred choice for the next chairman of the Federal Reserve would be either Friedrich Hayek or Milton Friedman, both of whom are dead.

On Wednesday, Fortune magazine accurately pre-predicted that the next chairman of the Federal Reserve will be Larry Summers.

About the Author
By Stephen Gandel
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in

Powerball
LawPowerball
How about $1.7 billion in your stocking for Christmas? Powerball’s 46 straight draws with no winner bring Yuletide greetings
By Olivia Diaz and The Associated PressDecember 24, 2025
39 minutes ago
student
Personal Financestudent loans and debt
Trump turns government into giant debt collector with threat to garnish wages on millions of Americans in default on student loans
By Annie Ma and The Associated PressDecember 24, 2025
41 minutes ago
Trump speaks in front of a podium, with Marco Rubio behind him
RetailHolidays
Trump just declared Christmas Eve a national holiday. Here’s what’s open and closed?
By Dave SmithDecember 24, 2025
50 minutes ago
NewslettersCEO Daily
Expedia CEO Ariane Gorin on the fight to ensure AI doesn’t turn her brands into invisible pipes consumers never see
By Diane BradyDecember 24, 2025
1 hour ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
The AI startups founders and VCs say could be acquisition targets in 2026
By Allie GarfinkleDecember 24, 2025
2 hours ago
Thierry Breton, former European Commissioner for the Internal Market, in Paris on June 13, 2025. (Photo: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
U.S. denies visas for five Europeans, alleging American censorship
By Andrew NuscaDecember 24, 2025
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
Billionaire philanthropy's growing divide: Mark Zuckerberg stops funding immigration reform as MacKenzie Scott doubles down on DEI
By Ashley LutzDecember 22, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeDecember 22, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
The average worker would need to save for 52 years to claw their way out of the middle class and be classified as wealthy, new research reveals
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 23, 2025
20 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
'When we got out of college, we had a job waiting for us': 80-year-old boomer says her generation left behind a different economy for her grandkids
By Mike Schneider and The Associated PressDecember 23, 2025
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Financial experts warn future winner of the $1.7 billion Powerball: Don't make these common money mistakes
By Ashley LutzDecember 23, 2025
18 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman says in 10 years' time college graduates will be working 'some completely new, exciting, super well-paid' job in space
By Preston ForeDecember 23, 2025
21 hours ago