Objectivist History Project founder Duncan Scott sends us this unfortunate news:
Joan Kennedy Taylor, former publisher of one of the first Objectivist themed magazines, Persuasion, and an associate of Ayn Rand for over twenty years, died Saturday morning after a long battle with cancer.
Beginning in the early 1970’s Kennedy Taylor wrote and spoke on feminist issues from a Libertarian perspective. She also directed book programs for the Manhattan Institute and the Foundation for Economic Education; was an editor for The Libertarian Review and The Freeman; and for ten years was a commentator for the Cato Institute’s syndicated radio program, “Byline.” Earlier, she was the founder and editor of Persuasion from 1964 to 1968. She was the National Coordinator of the Association of Libertarian Feminists and a member of the board of directors of Feminists for Free Expression.
She was the author of several books, including Reclaiming the Mainstream: Individualist Feminism Rediscovered, published in 1992 by Prometheus Books. She was the editor of Free Trade: The Necessary Foundation for World Peace, and the co-author with Lee M. Shulman of When to See a Psychologist. Besides writing articles for publications that include The Wall Street Journal, Success, The Washington Times, and Reason, the Hoover Institution brought out her pamphlet, “Women’s Issues: Feminism, Classical Liberalism, and the Future,” in its Essays in Public Policy series and she has contributed to a number of books: Equal Opportunities: a Feminist Fallacy (London, 1992), Beyond the Status Quo: Policy Proposals for America, and Freedom, Feminism, and the State, as well as several textbooks.
Kennedy Taylor was interviewed for The Objectivist History Project on April 4th, 2004. Excerpts from the interview were shown at The Objectivist Center Summer Seminar in Vancouver in July 2004, with Miss Kennedy Taylor attending. She spoke of her close relationship with Ayn Rand, of her father, composer Deems Taylor, and his friendship with Rand in his later years. She described efforts by Objectivists to end the military draft which ultimately proved successful.
According to her son, Michael Cook, current plans — which may change — are to have calling hours at Frank Campbell Funeral Home on 81st St. and Madison Ave., New York City on Wednesday, 4 pm to 7 pm (call Campbell FH 212-288-3500 to confirm), to have calling hours in Lee, Massachusetts on Thursday, and to have her funeral on Friday in Stockbridge, followed by a burial in the Stockbridge Cemetery.