On May 4, 2017, the Libertarian Party lost one of its true luminaries, and I lost a friend. Roger Lee Wrights passed away after leading a full life devoted to liberty and peace for all people.

I got to know Lee through his service on the LNC at various points between 2002 and 2014, and served with him on the Libertarian Party’s judicial committee from 2010 through 2012. We were sometimes on the same side of internal battles, sometimes on the opposite, but his passion for liberty and the Libertarian Party was never in doubt.

When Lee sought the Libertarian presidential nomination in 2012, I went all in to support his campaign. His message of ending all war and his commitment to “making a difference by being different” resonated with my vision of what the Libertarian Party should stand for. I was proud to support him and proud to place his name in nomination for vice president when he failed to secure the presidential nomination in Las Vegas. After an exciting convention, he served as vice chair of the LNC from 2012 to 2014, and then stepped back from internal party politics.

The Lee I knew was gentle, kind, dedicated, passionate, and on fire for liberty. He fought, and fought hard, but he was “not at war.” The best way I can honor his life and service is to strive to embody that saying, “I am not at war.” Passion and fire, tempered with kindness and goodwill towards all; that’s the Lee who was loved by so many inside the Libertarian Party and out.

We are all better for his life and a little emptier from his death. My deepest condolences to his friends and family on their loss.

Yours in liberty,

Nicholas Sarwark

Chair, Libertarian Party