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Erik Maria Ritter von Kuehnelt-Leddihn (born July 31, 1909 in Tobelbad (now Haselsdorf-Tobelbad), Austria-Hungary; died May 26, 1999, in Lans, Austria) was an Austrian Catholic nobleman and socio-political theorist. Describing himself as an "extreme conservative arch-liberal" or "liberal of the extreme right", Kuehnelt-Leddihn often argued that majority rule in democracies is a threat to individual liberties, and declared himself a monarchist and an enemy of all forms of totalitarianism.〔Campbell, William F. (“Erik Ritter von Kuehnelt-Leddihn: A Remembrance,” ) ''First Principles'', September 2008.〕 Described as "A Walking Book of Knowledge", Kuehnelt-Leddihn had an encyclopedic knowledge of the humanities and was a polyglot, able to speak eight languages and read seventeen others. His early books ''The Menace of the Herd'' and ''Liberty or Equality'' were influential within the American conservative movement. His best-known writings appeared in ''National Review'', where he was a columnist for 35 years. ==Life== Kuehnelt-Leddihn was born in Austria. At the age of 16, he became the Vienna correspondent of ''The Spectator''. From then on, he wrote for the rest of his life. He studied civil and canon law at the University of Vienna at the age of eighteen. From there, he went to the University of Budapest, from which he received an M.A. in economics and his doctorate in political science. Moving back to Vienna, he took up studies in theology. In 1935, Kuehnelt-Leddihn travelled to England to become a schoolmaster at Beaumont College, a Jesuit public school. Subsequently he moved to the United States, where he taught at Georgetown University (1937–38), Saint Peter's College, New Jersey (head of the History and Sociology Department, 1938–43), Fordham University (Japanese, 1942–43), and Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia (1943–47). In a 1939 letter to the editor of the New York Times, Kuehnelt-Leddihn critiqued the design of every American coin then in circulation—except for the Washington quarter, which he allowed was "so far the most satisfactory coin"—with the Mercury dime judged to be "the most deplorable".〔Erik v. Kuehnelt-Leddihn, Letter to the Editor, "Our Coins Criticized: Visitor Finds Artistic Faults in All Except the Quarter", ''The New York Times'', Nov. 26, 1939, p. 75.〕 After publishing books like ''Jesuiten, Spießer und Bolschewiken'' in 1933 (published in German by Pustet, Salzburg) and ''The Menace of the Herd'' in 1943, in which he criticised the National Socialists as well as the Socialists directly or between the lines, he could not return to Nazi-occupied Austria. After the Second World War, he resettled in Lans in Tyrol where he lived until his death.〔Rutler, George W. (“Erik Von Kuehnelt-Leddihn,” ) ''Crisis Magazine'', November 19, 2007.〕 However, he was an avid traveler: he had visited the USSR in 1930–31, and eventually traveled to every state in the United States. Kuehnelt-Leddihn wrote for a variety of publications, including ''Chronicles'', ''Thought'', the ''Rothbard-Rockwell Report'', ''Catholic World'', and the Norwegian business magazine ''Farmand''. He also worked with the Acton Institute, which declared him after his death "a great friend and supporter,"〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Acton Institute )〕 and was an adjunct scholar of the Ludwig von Mises Institute.〔Rockwell, Lew. "(Remembering Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn )." ''LewRockwell.com Blog'', July 31, 2008.〕 For much of his life, Kuehnelt was also a painter; he illustrated some of his own books. According to his friend William F. Buckley, Dr. Kuehnelt-Leddihn was “the world’s most fascinating man”.〔("Erik Ritter von Kuehnelt-Leddih (1909–1999)," ) ''Religion & Liberty'' 9 (5), 1999, p. 3.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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