Murray Newton Rothbard (/ˈrɒθbɑːrd/; March 2, 1926 – January 7, 1995) was an American economist of the Austrian School, economic historian, political theorist, and activist. Rothbard was a central figure in the 20th-century American libertarian movement and a founder and leading theoretician of anarcho-capitalism (as termed by Rothbard; but later opposing the 'anarchism' label on both etymological and historical grounds). He wrote over twenty books on political theory, history, economics, and other subjects.