The Hudson Institute is a right-of-center think tank based in Washington, D.C. The Institute’s scholars conduct research in the areas of defense, international relations, economics, health care, technology, culture, and law and make policy recommendations that support individual freedom, free markets, and economic growth based on technological innovation. ¹

History

The Hudson Institute was founded in 1961 by futurist, military strategist, and systems theorist Herman Kahn and his colleagues at the RAND Corporation. The Institute’s original mission was to contemplate the future in “unconventional ways.” In 1967, the Hudson Institute published The Year 2000, a book that used then-new social science techniques to project what the future would look like. ²

The Hudson Institute shifted its focus to domestic, social, and economic issues and in 1977 published Our Children’s Crippled Future, an early examination of the shortcomings of the American educational system. ³

After Kahn’s death in 1983, the Hudson Institute began to broaden the scope of its work by enlisting a more diverse group of policy experts and researchers. The Institute published its next important study in 1986, Workforce 2000, which projected changes to the American workforce heading into the 21st century. The Hudson went on to play an important role in engineering Wisconsin’s “welfare-to-work” reforms in 1995. ⁴

In 2004, the Hudson Institute relocated from Croton-on-Hudson, New York to Washington, D.C. to focus its research on issues of foreign policy and national security. ⁵

Recent Activities

Former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, the Hudson Institute’s Japan Chair, has called for the Biden administration to keep the Trump administration’s policies on China in place. McMaster argued that the Trump administration correctly recognized that the Chinese Communist Party has pursued an increasingly aggressive agenda, rejecting U.S. entreaties for cooperation and engagement. McMaster claimed the party needs to be recognized as a threat to the free world and that transparent competition can prevent unnecessary escalation of Sino-U.S. tensions and foster cooperation with China. ⁶

In 2021, the Hudson Institute published a policy memo claiming that stronger intellectual property rights were essential to free markets. The Institute argued that the protections afforded tangible real and personal property should be applied to intangible intellectual property. The policy memo rejected claims that broad intellectual property rights create monopolies that stifle free-market competition. ⁷

Scholars at the Hudson Institute have argued that legalized marijuana in Colorado is more problematic than marijuana advocates and the media acknowledge, with the black market dominating the trade there and in and other states that have legalized marijuana. Scholars at the Institute argue that legalizing marijuana in Colorado did not end corruption, prevent youth access to marijuana, or decrease the number of Black and Hispanic people being arrested. ⁸

The Hudson Institute advocates against the Educating for American Democracy (EAD) initiative, which is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the U.S. Department of Education. ⁹ John Fonte, director of the Institute’s Center for American Common Culture, claims that the EAD initiative, while claiming to be bipartisan, favors a progressive left agenda. The initiative works to create a new framework for teaching American history and civics. Fonte claims that because participants in the initiative are so uniformly left-of-center, it will inevitably reflect the priorities of leftist educators. This focus, Fonte argued, will lead to a civics program that would teach institutional systemic racism and the inclusion of non-citizens as full civic participants, and would not serve to promote or improve the American way of life. ¹⁰

Funding

The Hudson Institute is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. The Hudson Institute discloses some of its donors in its annual reports and tax filings confirm donations from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation ($1,174,122 in 2017),¹¹ the Sarah Scaife Foundation ($450,000 in 2018),¹² and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ($294,368 in 2017). ¹³

People

Senior Staff

John P. Walters is the president and CEO of the Hudson Institute. Walters formerly served as director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (a position informally known as the “Drug Czar”) during the George W. Bush Administration; as president of the Philanthropy Roundtable; and as assistant to the chief of staff at the Department of Education during the Reagan administration. ¹⁴

Ann Marie Hauser is the vice president of public affairs at the Hudson Institute. Hauser formerly served as the deputy staff director of the Senate Republican Conference, the director of public affairs at the Department of Commerce, and a spokesperson for international affairs at the Department of Treasury during the George W. Bush Administration. ¹⁵

Daniel McKivergan is the vice president of government relations at the Hudson Institute. McKivergan formerly worked as the deputy policy director for the McCain 2008 Presidential Campaign and as policy director at the Philanthropy Roundtable. ¹⁶

Joel Scanlon is executive vice president of Hudson Institute. Scanlon formerly worked in policy studies at the Center for International Private Enterprise and deputy assistant to the president at the White House during the George W. Bush Administration. ¹⁷

Experts

The Hudson Institute has frequently employed former government officials as affiliated experts, including Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor in the George W. Bush administration and Secretary of Transportation in the Trump administration;¹⁸ Michael Doran, senior director of the White House National Security Council in the George W. Bush administration;¹⁹ Harold Furchtgott-Roth, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission;²⁰ I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, chief of staff to former Vice President Dick Cheney;²¹ Robert McDowell, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission;²² H.R. McMaster, National Security Advisor in the Trump administration;²³ and Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State and director of the Central Intelligence Agency in the Trump administration. ²⁴

Other Hudson Institute experts have been or are currently affiliated with other think tanks and policy institutes. These include Christopher DeMuth, former president of the American Enterprise Institute;²⁵ Walter Russell Mead, former fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Aspen Institute Italy;²⁶ William Schambra, former director of programs at the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, former director of social policy programs at the American Enterprise Institute, and former board member of the Corporation for National and Community Service;²⁷ Nina Shea, former director of the Center for Religious Freedom at Freedom House;²⁸ Irwin Stelzer, former resident scholar and director of regulatory policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute;²⁹ and Samuel Tadros, distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution. ³⁰

Board of Trustees

Jack David is senior fellow and board member at the Hudson Institute. David formerly served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense, the U.S. chair of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, and a director of the International League for Human Rights. David formerly served on the boards of United Against Nuclear Iran, Lawyers Committee for International Human Rights, and National Defense University. ³¹

Thomas Donohue formerly served as president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as president and CEO of the American Trucking Association, and as deputy assistant postmaster general. ³²

Russell Pennoyer is the chair of the William T. Grant Foundation and president of the Achelis and Bodman Foundation. ³³

Sarah May Stern is the chair of the Hudson Institute and a trustee of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. ³⁴

Walter Stern is chairman emeritus of the Hudson Institute and vice president of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Stern serves as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and on the boards of the American Committee on Foreign Relations and the Monterey Institute. ³⁵

Margaret Whitehead formerly worked in the Office of Programs for former First Lady Barbara Bush and as a congressional liaison officer in the Department of Labor. ³⁶

1. “Support.” Hudson Institute, 2021. Accessed July 19, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/about/support.
2. “History.” Hudson Institute, 2021. Accessed July 19, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/about/history.
3. “History.” Hudson Institute, 2021. Accessed July 19, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/about/history.
4. “History.” Hudson Institute, 2021. Accessed July 19, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/about/history.
5. “History.” Hudson Institute, 2021. Accessed July 19, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/about/history.
6. McMaster, H.R. “Biden Would Do the World a Favor by Keeping Trump’s China Policy.” Hudson Institute. June 2021. Accessed January 18, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/research/16623-biden-would-do-the-world-a-favor-by-keeping-trump-s-china-policy.
7. Barnett, Jonathan M. “How IP Rights Keep Markets Free.” Hudson Institute. June 2021. Accessed July 19, 2021. https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.hudson.org/Barnett_How%20IP%20Rights%20Keep%20Markets%20Free.pdf.
8. Murray, David W. “The ‘Colorado Experiment’: Legalized Marijuana’s Impact in Colorado.” Hudson Institute. June 28, 2021. Accessed July 19, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/research/17052-the-colorado-experiment-legalized-marijuana-s-impact-in-colorado.
9. “Who is behind Educating for American Democracy?” Educating for American Democracy. 2021. Accessed August 23, 2021. https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/#who-is-behind.
10. Fonte, John. “Fundamental Transformation.” Hudson Institute. July 22, 2021. Accessed August 23, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/research/17132-fundamental-transformation.
11. Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2017, Schedule I, Part II.
12. Sarah Scaife Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2018, Part XV, Line 3a.
13. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part XV, Line 3a.
14. “John P. Waters.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/559-john-p-walters.
15. “Ann Marie Hauser.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/1247-ann-marie-hauser.
16. “Daniel McKivergan.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/894-daniel-mc-kivergan.
17. “Joel Scanlon.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-scanlon-7660a111/.
18. “Elaine L. Chao.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/1136-elaine-l-chao.
19. “Michael Doran.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/1035-michael-doran.
20. “Harold Furchtgott-Roth.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/629-harold-furchtgott-roth.
21. “Lewis Libby.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/601-lewis-libby.
22. “Robert M. McDowell.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/672-robert-m-mc-dowell.
23. “H.R. McMaster.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/1274-h-r-mc-master.
24. “Michael R. Pompeo.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/1357-michael-r-pompeo.
25. “Christopher DeMuth.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/647-christopher-de-muth.
26. “Walter Russell Mead.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/1038-walter-russell-mead.
27. “William A. Schambra.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/364-william-a-schambra.
28. “Nina Shea.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/376-nina-shea.
29. “Irwin M. Stelzer.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/401-irwin-m-stelzer.
30. “Samuel Tadros.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/635-samuel-tadros.
31. “Jack David.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/577-jack-david.
32. “Thomas J. Donohue.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/680-thomas-j-donohue.
33. “Russell Pennoyer.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/1062-russell-pennoyer.
34. “Sarah May Stern.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/732-sarah-may-stern.
35. “Walter P. Stern.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/642-walter-p-stern.
36. “Margaret Whitehead.” Hudson Institute. Accessed July 13, 2021. https://www.hudson.org/experts/720-margaret-whitehead.