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Tucsonan David F. Nolan, one of the founders of the Libertarian Party, died Sunday just two days before his 67th birthday.

Nolan, influenced by the works of Ayn Rand and Robert Heinlein, helped found the Libertarian Party in his Denver living room in 1971, following President Richard Nixon's implementation of wage and price controls.

Nolan was a congressional candidate in Arizona's CD 8 in 2006, and ran for the U.S. Senate against John McCain, Rodney Glassman and Jerry Joslyn in 2010. Nolan received 80,000 votes in his most recent race.

Like many Libertarians, Nolan opposed government intrusion in daily life, and believed in personal freedom. He opposed the war in Iraq, called for an end to personal income taxes, and wanted to legalize drugs. He supported a guest-worker program over building a border wall, wanted to close the Federal Reserve System, and end the Patriot Act.

Nolan is credited with popularizing the "Nolan Chart," a diagram of political philosophies that expanded on the stereotype of right and left wing parties.

He was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Maryland. Nolan was a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Nolan is survived by his wife, Elizabeth.

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